How Can You Live and Enjoy Life Within Such a Restrictive Set of Rules? 5 Points to Ponder

The Chase for the Charger

Smartphones have changed our lives completely. Without assessing the pros and cons of smartphones, there is one serious central issue: the battery barely lasts us until noon. Every smartphone owner can testify that their life has become a constant pursuit of the most 'precious' object of all, the charger.

What if I told you there's an "electrical device" that doesn't need charging or an electrical supply to operate? A device that can function for many years, and its electrical activity surpasses any electronic device you can imagine?

(Photo: shutterstock)

What is this "device"? Our body!

All the activity of the nerves and muscles in our body is essentially electrical activity. This activity is based on the transmission of electrical signals between cells for the purpose of conveying information.

The transmission and reception of information from various parts of the body occurs via the nervous system. Nerves conduct sensations from the body to the brain and instructions from the brain to the body. Our body branches out with thin nerve fibers to each organ, transmitting information through electrical signals signifying sensations of light, sound, pain, pressure, heat, or cold, and more.

So who is the "CEO of the electric company" within our bodies? Who is the super-electrician that created such a sophisticated and wonderful electrical system in our bodies, without failures, without the need for recharging, or dependence on an electrical source?

Sleeping 26 Years!

If we take all the time dedicated to necessary daily activities - eating and drinking, spending time in the bathroom, commuting, sleeping, etc., we find that an average person spends between 13 to 15 years of their life eating, another two years in the bathroom, four years commuting, and twenty-six years sleeping.

Can you grasp this? A person lives, at best, for 80 years, and of those, 26 years are spent sleeping!

Imagine if there were a way to fulfill life's tasks in one continuous stretch. For example, rather than eating a little each day, we could spend five years just in self-indulgence! Exciting? No, depressing! While food is essential for a person's existence, health, and physical and spiritual functioning, dealing with only eating and drinking for such a long period seems like a waste of time.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Imagine four consecutive years of commuting to and from work without any stops along the way, or two entire years in the bathroom!

Many of us do not feel the time wasted on various actions, not to mention additional time dedicated to idle, meaningless time passage. This is because we break many of these actions into small fragments. However, the unfortunate fact is that these pieces come together to form the tapestry of our lives.

The inevitable conclusion is that these daily actions, while necessary for our existence, should not take longer than necessary, and we should use the remaining time efficiently to achieve the purpose for which we came into the world: to build our spiritual world.

Clover Leaves

Almost all plants have leaves. They come in many shapes and sizes, but they all share the same role - photosynthesis: In this process, the plant produces sugar using light energy, water, and carbon dioxide (CO₂). At the end of the process, oxygen, necessary for our existence, is released into the environment.

So, why, despite the similar role, does each plant have different-shaped leaves?

One of the amazing features of leaves is the remarkable adaptation between light absorption and the structure of plant leaves:/strong> Leaves have many diverse shapes: there are "heart-shaped" leaves, "clover leaves", "feather-like" leaves, "finger-like" leaves, and more. Some plants grow on the forest floor, achieving the sunlight they need with large, spread-out leaves.

Most leaves are thin, giving them a large surface area relative to their volume, allowing carbon dioxide to penetrate and quickly reach its target - the chloroplasts, which perform photosynthesis. The large surface area also allows for extensive contact with the air surrounding the leaf.

(Photo: shutterstock)

Therefore, if you thought leaves sometimes looked like they were arranged completely randomly, they are not. Every plant species has a specific and fixed leaf arrangement, called "phyllotaxis" (Phyllotaxis): some leaves are arranged in rows, in pairs, oppositely, or alternately in a spiral around the stem. For example, in the olive tree, leaves appear in opposite arrangements: two by two, and each pair of leaves is angled 90 degrees from the previous pair.

Leaves are generally arranged on the stem in such a way that they do not stand one under the other, thus they can have maximum contact with air and light.

Amazingly, the structure of the leaves - existing on the branches and stems of plants in a defined and fixed order - allows each leaf to perform its function and receive precisely the amount of light it needs, which is essential for one of the most important processes in the living world - photosynthesis, a process that ultimately releases the oxygen we breathe!

When observing the various forms of leaves and their arrangement on a plant, one cannot help but marvel at how the leaves are adapted for the efficient execution of this process. Who was it that "arranged" everything so wonderfully and precisely, providing us, among other things, the oxygen we breathe?

Pressure Increases As You Go Deeper

When we dive deep into the sea, we find that the pressure in the sea depths is significantly higher than the normal atmospheric pressure. This fact is well known, especially to those engaged in diving.

Pressure increases as we go deeper below the water surface. Thanks to understanding the physical properties of the aquatic environment, diving equipment has been developed that allows diving to the depths of the sea without feeling the pressure on the body. For example, a "buoyancy compensator" is a vest-shaped garment, whose primary function is to allow divers to lower and raise themselves within the water in a controlled manner.

Submarines have air tanks and compressors. When the compressors are activated and water is piped into the air tanks, the air in the tanks is compressed, the submarine's overall specific weight becomes greater than the water it displaces, and the submarine sinks. When operators want the submarine to ascend, they reverse the compressors and expel water from the air tanks.

Wait, we see that there are hundreds of thousands of different species of fish living at various depths in the ocean. How do they manage the increasing water pressure in the depths? They don't have advanced equipment to overcome the water pressure!

Instead, different fish species have been allocated habitats at different levels in the ocean depths. They have a specially designed air bladder in their body that releases gases from the bloodstream, regulates pressure, maintains balance, and allows fish to survive under varying water pressures within the limits set by the Creator.

Who is the architect that planned and installed this "air bladder" in the bodies of billions of fish, thereby enabling life at different levels in the ocean depths?

Pleasant Limitations

We often hear a common complaint against Judaism: "How can one navigate and experience happy and joyful lives within a system filled with so many laws and framed in such a rigid structure?"

The answer is simple:

Try to think, for example, about the game of basketball: The game's rules specify that each player is allowed to run with the ball, provided he dribbles and does not hold it continuously. Another rule instructs players to shoot the ball into the basket within a very specific timeframe. There's also a rule forbidding players from going out of the court's boundaries while holding the ball. There are so many restrictions and prohibitions in this game!

However, as any ardent basketball fan can tell you, it is precisely these rules and the rigid framework that allow each player to express their skills to the maximum extent. These are the rules that provide the game with the optimal framework and guidance for the players.

Surprisingly, a player's ability to achieve amazing feats and reach maximum enjoyment is precisely within the rigid boundaries of the game's rules.

The same point applies to the Torah. The system of rules – the mitzvot – is mandated 'from above', because only this way do we have an appropriate framework that allows us to express ourselves in the best way. Only through restrictions and rules do we manage to achieve accomplishments – overcome the inclination, elevate in our service to Hashem, build and shape our personality, and experience enjoyable and happy lives.