Why Is the Tomato Not Always Red? - 5 Points to Ponder

"The Engine Stopped"

Recently, the engine of my friend's luxury car gave out.

I thought to myself, no matter how modern and sophisticated the car may be, and despite the enormous financial investment in it, after several years the engine will cease to function and the car will break down. Wait...

How can that be? After all, I know of a much more sophisticated and complex machine than any luxury car on the market, and the "engine" in that machine can operate for 120 years without malfunctions, without charging cables!

(Photo: shutterstock)

The human body is the most sophisticated and complex machine in the world, and nothing compares to it. The "engine" of the human body is the heart, pumping blood throughout the body, beating billions of times over the average seventy years of a person's life, automatically and without any control from the person.

A car engine does not last more than ten years without a glitch, whereas the human heart requires no upgrades. It is even more sophisticated: when we exert ourselves, the heart "knows" to immediately increase its speed to about twice its normal rate, and even though we tire, the heart does not tire and does not stop to rest, nor even slow down.

Here, we can perceive a deep intelligence at work, intelligence beyond human comprehension. So, who planned and created this perfect "engine" in our bodies, which no human hand contributed to in any way? An "engine" that no person can replicate, nor even create a worthy replacement for?

Fruit Colors

Let's visit the local fruit and vegetable store. A variety of colorful fruits and vegetables catches our eyes and draws our attention.

First question: Why all these colors? Wouldn't a single color for all fruits and vegetables suffice?

It turns out that most fruits, when they're ready to eat, are colored in bright hues – orange, red, yellow – to entice us to consume them. If all the fruits were a single color, like yellow, the amount of fruit we eat would be significantly reduced, leading to a substantial decrease in vitamins and minerals in our bodies.

The variety of fruit colors leads to the consumption of various types of fruits, which contain different vitamins and minerals essential to our health. However, in their unripe stage, when eating fruits before they ripen is neither beneficial nor nutritious, all fruits are of a uniform color, indicating that they are not yet fit to eat.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Second question: Why, in the unripe stage of fruits before they ripen, are all fruits of a uniform color: green? Wouldn't it have been simpler for the final color to develop from the beginning of the fruit's growth?

Why specifically green color? So that the fruits blend with the color of the leaves and do not attract attention. This increases the chances that they won't be picked prematurely, allowing them to grow properly and reach their destination. Only when they ripen do they change their green camouflage to cheerful, varied colors, some to red, some to yellow, and some to orange, thus making themselves stand out among the leaves and inviting us to eat them – for our health.

Also, notice that the hardness of the seed varies for each type of fruit. A single pit is always hard as a stone, like in dates and peaches, while many seeds are always edible, like in tomatoes and watermelons.

And why? Well, it turns out that fruits with only one pit have been given special protection to preserve the seed within them to ensure the growth of the next generation, and this is done through an exceptionally strong and hard covering that protects the seed from being consumed with the fruit.

Could it be that this wonderful phenomenon, which indicates a guiding and caring hand, arose by itself, without a Creator and Planner?

"Believing" In My Own Way

Sadly, there are people who, when they are reminded of their actions in serving Hashem, such as prayer, refraining from evil speech, or observing Shabbat, respond by saying that they serve Hashem "in their own way." They say things like: "I believe in the Creator, but in my own way"... To such a reply, it can be answered that it's not wise, because when you truly love someone, you love them in their way, in a manner that suits them!

The Torah is a manual book for every Jew, explaining how to fulfill the commandments. A person cannot justify on their own why one commandment is better than another, or decide to fulfill a commandment in a way different from the way specified by law. It is not permitted to engage in idle talk during prayer, even if it does not disturb any of the congregants, and it is forbidden to gossip about others even if it is "in jest"...

If a person seeks the truth and wishes to live it, they must make the utmost effort to adhere to it as it is. If they do not wish to live the truth, then there is no reason to make excuses and try to permit what is prohibited. A person must be honest with themselves and admit they know something is forbidden, yet they do it anyway.

May it be Hashem's will that we merit to observe the "manufacturer's instructions" with complete faith, without any doubt, and for the sake of heaven, Amen!

How Do Animals Know Things?

Many animals do amazing things without being taught how. Ant colonies are built by enormous teams of ants, each knowing its role. Every bird knows how to build a nest and then incubate the eggs. Salmon fish travel hundreds of kilometers to give birth in the place where they were born. How does it happen that they just know this?

When the cat finishes its business, it always covers it! Chicks that hatch from eggs without knowing their mother will be able to fly by themselves as they grow and even know how to navigate to and reach distant lands.

There are many additional examples from the animal kingdom...

With all the excitement and admiration, many have forgotten or do not know that animals act based on instincts (inborn patterns of action and response), and they do not think thoughts or understand the world around them. For example, birds do not learn "in school" how to fly. This knowledge is ingrained in the brain of every bird. Animals behave automatically according to the characteristics inherent in them.

(Photo: shutterstock))

Who instilled these unique and wonderful traits in animals? How does it happen that all cats, without exception, cover their waste? After all, cats have no moral perception of good and evil; they do not feel shame, so why is it important for them suddenly to be modest and cover their waste? Did they have a "cat assembly," made a joint decision, and informed all the cats worldwide?

Amazingly, these chosen traits apply equally to all types of animals without exception.

Is it possible that animal instincts arose "by chance"? Isn't it clear that there is a guiding hand that governs and plans everything among animals? There is no doubt that the infinite genius of the Creator is reflected even in the behavior of animals...

Believe or Know?

The "denying" friend told me: "You believe in God. 'Believe' – this means that there may be a God, but there could also be no God. The fact that you only 'believe' shows that you do not know it with certainty!".

I explained to him that the meaning of the word "faith" is misunderstood by him, and it is much deeper than people usually perceive it in daily life.

When you ask a person: "Do you believe in God", what do you mean? In essence, the word faith is at a higher level than "I know there is a God." So what is "faith in Hashem"? When is the word "faith" used?

You lend a friend one hundred thousand shekels. They ask you: "How do you lend him such a huge amount?" You answer: "I believe that he will return it to me." For if you had even the slightest doubt that your friend would not return the money to you in the future, you would not have lent it at all. The fact that you lent him such an amount necessarily indicates that you know with certainty that he will return it. Thus, the word "faith" here is based on knowledge (in the mind) that your friend will return it to you, and on your full trust (in the heart) in him that he will return it to you – that is faith!

Friends, the existence of Hashem is intellectual knowledge! Any sensible person can know from observing creation that there is Hashem. Faith in Him means that you know there is a Creator, and you also trust in Him that He watches over you, that He knows what happens in the world, and that He cares about you.