Some Commandments Seem Illogical—Why Observe Them? 5 Points to Consider

Nose Knows

Why do we have a nose?

What is the purpose of this strange protrusion in the middle of our face? If you say it's for breathing, then a smooth face with two holes would suffice, and we could breathe easily...

Why do we have a prominent slope from the forehead descending towards the mouth?

Yet, when a person approaches to eat, they might unknowingly put spoiled food into their mouth, which could lead to illness. Thus, the reason for this protrusion on our face is to act as a "scent ceiling" above the mouth. This allows a person to detect spoiled food before consuming it and avoid illness.

Is it possible that this remarkable process, indicating intentional and caring design, came about without a creator and planner?... Observing the human body, one can understand that it is created by a superhuman creator with infinite genius and immense power...

Bird Migration Without GPS

I have a task for you: You must navigate a foreign land at the opposite end of the world. You must do so without a map or guide, without asking or consulting anyone beforehand. You cannot make mistakes or rest during this long journey.

An impossible task, right? Then please explain to me how the following miracle occurs:

When I observe migrating birds, I am amazed: how do these small birds gather the courage and strength for such a long and exhausting journey, flying thousands of kilometers sometimes—from one end of the Earth to the other without the need to rest? Have you ever seen a flying bird tell itself, "I'm tired, need to rest for an hour"?... Birds cover vast distances without visible strain!

How do they know the way and travel on a fixed path? They have no guide or map!

Interestingly, even the tiniest and inexperienced birds know the way and reach the exact location of their destination without recognition, often arriving earlier than their parents by their own strength.

Scientists have always wondered about the mysterious ability of these small creatures to fly accurately from one point to another over vast distances, without deviation, in cloudy or clear weather, without colliding with others!

This is undoubtedly a wonderful natural phenomenon that only the Creator of the world could orchestrate.

Resurrection of the Dead

Many find the concept of resurrection of the dead hard to grasp. How is it possible that we could see a person whose flesh has already decayed in the grave walking among us again? Can the dead truly rise?

Imagine a human body "growing" and suddenly emerging from the grave—after turning into dust, with maybe just a remnant bone—alive, walking, and speaking like any living person. What would we say about this? We'd certainly stand astonished and incredulous: Is this how the miracle of resurrection is supposed to happen?

But in reality, this miracle happens all the time! Don't believe? Here's an example from nature—grain. A wheat seed planted in the ground—the same seed we essentially "bury"—rots and stinks after a while. After a period, suddenly, from the decay, nice upright stalks sprout. In other words, a rotten seed becomes a green stalk full of seeds similar to the parent seed. These seeds can be buried again in the soil, repeating the cycle.

Why aren't we amazed by this? It's a miracle—an event against all logic! Isn't growth from decay a miracle of resurrection? Certainly, it's a miracle, but we've become accustomed to the miracle of crops as a natural occurrence, unlike resurrection.

Just as with the nature of creation, so too will be with the resurrection of the dead!

Isn't the one who breathed life and soul into a lifeless body capable of resurrecting the dead? Certainly, He can!

Isn't the one who created from seed and egg a well-planned, structured, and complex human body not able to resurrect the dead? Of course, He can!

Isn't the one who designed and created this sophisticated and amazing world that we live in not capable of resurrecting the dead? Certainly so!

Hashem committed to the resurrection of the dead in the future, as it is said, "Many of those who sleep in the dusty earth will awaken" (Daniel 12:2).

If you believe that the Creator of the world created the entire world, including humans, from nothingness, is it difficult to believe in His ability to renew man from his remaining bones?

The Belly Button

I noticed something strange about our bodies. Our skin is generally smooth but suddenly, in the middle of the abdomen, we all have a kind of dimple... the belly button! What is it anyway?

The belly button serves as a constant reminder of the greatest miracle of life: A fetus is formed and resides in its mother's womb for nine months, receiving all its needs from her. Beyond this unimaginable miracle, have you ever wondered how exactly it nourishes itself from the mother? How does this happen in practice?

During pregnancy, there is a type of tube known as the "umbilical cord," connecting the mother's placenta to the fetus's body, transferring nourishment to the fetus and waste from the fetus back to the mother. Do you understand that this strange rope nourishes the baby perfectly for nine months?

When we take a closer look, we see that the umbilical cord has additional features, all declaring: "There is a Creator to the world!"

Firstly, the umbilical cord is long enough to allow the baby to move freely in the womb and enable it to descend without difficulty through the birth canal. If the cord were short, how could the baby emerge into the world, held in the womb by a short cord?

Secondly, the umbilical cord is wrapped in a special material, a kind of sticky substance intended to protect it from any harm, preventing pressure on the umbilical cord that could lead to real fetal distress (due to impaired oxygen supply), irreversible brain damage, or even in-womb death.

Above all, immediately after birth, the umbilical cord is cut, completing the birth process, and the baby fully separates from the mother. From the moment the cord is cut, the baby must independently provide for its needs such as eating, drinking, and breathing—amazing!

In the umbilical cord alone, we see incredible design, allowing for the existence of a human inside another human! Is it conceivable that such a wonderful nourishment process came about without a creator and designer?...

"What I Don't Understand, I Don't Do"...

Sometimes I encounter people who say, "There are some 'weird' commandments that I don't understand the purpose of or the logic behind them. Why keep Shabbat? What's the benefit? Why perform a Brit Milah on the eighth day? And why can't you eat meat and milk together?" and so on...

I ask these people a simple question:

When you were a soldier in the army, how many times did it happen that your commander gave you orders whose reason wasn't clear to you, or you thought differently from him, yet you did as instructed without questioning? Could you imagine that in the time of war, when the commander gives orders to his soldiers, the recruit would say to the brigade commander: "Listen, what you're saying doesn't make sense to me. It seems like you're really exaggerating. I think differently, so I won't do as you said"?...

This situation wouldn't happen, right? Even if the junior soldier doesn't understand the commander's instructions, he follows them. Why? Because he knows the commander has his best interests at heart, and there are things the commander knows that the recruit does not. Therefore, the recruit would tell himself: "Even if I don't understand, I execute."

So why do people dare to express opinions and challenge the "commander's" words regarding religion, saying "I don't see it, so I won't do it"? If people knew the power of observing Shabbat properly, the spiritual enlightenment it brings to one's soul; if they knew the effect putting on tefillin for a few minutes has on the soul, they wouldn't allow themselves to "express opinions"...

The greatness of man lies in observing commandments, precisely when he does not understand Hashem's guidance. This is a test for which we are rewarded. Even when a commandment seems illogical to us, we believe that Hashem runs the world, while we, as mere mortals with very limited understanding, fulfill his commandments—those we understand and those we do not. A person who rises and withstands this test is assured of a reward in this world and the world to come, Amen!