When Will My Expiration Date Arrive? 5 Points for Thought

Where Does Breast Milk Come From?<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

Breast milk is a wonder. There are moments when I am amazed while thinking about this miracle - that the body produces milk 'on its own' for the baby. But how much do we really know about breast milk? Where does it come from? What is its source?<\/strong><\/p>

Breast milk is made from blood!<\/p>

Breastfeeding connects the mother and baby in a system where the mother's blood turns into milk, and then again into blood in the baby's body. Hashem provides nourishment to the baby through breastfeeding, turning the blood that nourished it in the mother's womb into milk, a sweet and tasty fluid, like a spring that flows just when needed.<\/strong><\/p>

(Photo: shutterstock)

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Moreover, breast milk is much more than a liquid; it is produced from the mother's blood. Breastfeeding doesn't require increasing quantities because the milk's composition changes and adapts to the changing needs of the baby. Breast milk contains minerals, vitamins, fats, probiotic bacteria, sugars, and antibodies - everything the baby needs at each stage of development.<\/p>

And I ask: how does red liquid blood, not pleasing to the palate, transform into sweet, white liquid? Who is the genius 'chemist' that invented the formula for this miraculous transformation? No one knows or understands the composition of either... Who is the one who planned and created these wondrous systems to which no human hand contributed anything?<\/strong><\/p>

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We All Have an Expiration Date!<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

The days pass and the day of death for each of us approaches quickly. On this day, our desires, passions, and aspirations will cease. On this day, we will leave behind all our possessions - money, house, car. Everything we worked for - houses, cars, businesses... all will remain here. We cannot take anything with us on our journey forward, nor will we be able to help ourselves in our businesses and matters here, in this world...<\/p>

We must hurry and reflect on our purpose in the world and why we were created, before the day arrives that we all fear, for we cannot be sure we will live even one more day...<\/p>

We do not know when our end will come and how long we are destined to live. But each of us knows that one day he will die. We must be prepared, as much as possible, for death. We see that death visits many people each month, and who can guarantee that their turn won't come next month! Each month we must fear that we too might die.<\/p>

We invest our lives in this world and sometimes forget what our purpose is - to achieve our portion in the world to come. It's our duty to think about what we have done so far and the 'provisions' we must prepare for our journey after death, and the place destined for our souls, at least one day before we need them...<\/p>

Do not invest your best efforts in the temporary, fleeting world, but in your eternal world. Use every day as if it were your last, for one day it indeed will be. Each of us has a ticking clock. But no one knows when their clock will stop. Do not think life is endless. Our sages said, "Repent one day before your death" (Avot 2:10). That is, return to the right path one day before you die. And when exactly will that day be?...<\/strong><\/p>

There is no choice, we must start today and find all our days in Torah, repentance, and good deeds!<\/strong><\/p>

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Love Without Conditions!<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

Imagine a three-year-old child moves in next door to you. He is a cute child, impossible not to fall in love with. But there's a catch: this child is a bit of a nuisance. Every night, he knocks on your door asking for a bottle of water. During the day, he cries, screams, and disrupts your afternoon rest. Several times a day, he visits you, asking for lunch and for you to buy him a toy to play with.<\/p>

It's clear to all of us that such a cute child, however he may be, would face scorn and outright rejection. However, for those who think this scenario is imaginary, I will say it is indeed true, happening baruch Hashem<\/i> every day in greater and more challenging nuisance and annoyance levels, but with one difference - the parents receiving this child's visits this time receive it with love and joy...<\/strong><\/p>

What am I talking about?<\/p>

Parents who are blessed to bring a child into the world are subject to many challenging 'annoyances': sleepless nights, crying, colic, breastfeeding\/bottle feeding, diaper changes, baths, buying appropriate gear, and more. There is no doubt, parenting involves hard work. Raising a baby is a complex, emotionally and physically draining task that involves a significant financial outlay. But, despite this, every parent feels towards their child limitless love, excited by every silly syllable out of their mouth, thinks their child is the cutest and smartest in the world, and misses them every moment they are not with them.<\/p>

So how can it be? The baby 'disturbs' our peace without end. He does not pay us a salary and does not contribute to household chores and generally?! How then, does such unconditional love form in the hearts of parents towards a baby whose whole essence is to receive and not to give, without the grace of Hashem<\/i> who placed within the hearts of parents to love and pity him? Otherwise, what would become of the little child? Who would care for him?<\/strong>If not for the divine seal in our hearts, we would treat him like the child in the introduction<\/strong>...<\/p>

Hashem<\/i> grants the child favor, kindness, and compassion in the hearts of his parents, so that his upbringing will not be burdensome to them, and they care for his welfare more than their own, finding it easy to endure all the effort he causes and to toil in his upbringing. Even in adolescence, parents do not disdain him even if his needs are numerous and even if he does not acknowledge the effort they endure for him and for providing his needs and protecting him from harm...<\/strong><\/p>

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Is Forgetting a 'Bug' in Memory?<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

Our brain has mechanisms that seemingly contradict each other. What do I mean? On one hand, a person has memory, which is one of the most amazing things our body 'knows' how to do. Think about it - every day holds memories of thousands of fragments of information, new faces, experiences we create with others, and they all enter and settle in our brain.<\/p>

There is great benefit in memory. If a person did not have memory, imagine the terrible state he would be in and how many losses he would suffer in all his dealings - not remembering what is owed to him and what he owes others, what he took and gave, what he saw or heard, what he said and what was said to him, who helped him and who harmed him, and he would not remember what he learns... he would simply cease to be a person.<\/p>

On the other hand, despite the amazing memory mechanism occurring in our brains, we also have a forgetting mechanism. Sometimes we forget details, events, experiences, people, and more. How does our brain, which can store so much information with the ability to recall and use it whenever we want, coexist with a natural tendency to forget things? Is it a flaw in design? Is forgetting a 'bug' in memory?<\/strong><\/p>

(Photo: shutterstock)

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Yet, even here, there is great benefit in forgetting. Without forgetfulness, a person would always be in sorrow, and no joy could distract him from his sadness and he would not enjoy what makes him happy. Why? Because he would always remember all the negative experiences in his life, all the troubles and difficult events that happened in the past. He would not be able to move on. An incredible wonder is the forgetfulness of the brevity of our life, for if a person constantly remembered that his day of death was approaching, he would not be able to function well. Therefore, forgetfulness is a very blessed thing because it allows a person to successfully overcome traumatic experiences (like terror attacks and the death of a loved one).<\/strong><\/p>

Observe how the blessed Creator designed memory and forgetting for man, which are opposed and different from each other, and in each of which there are different benefits...<\/strong><\/p>

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Thank You, Adoptive Father!<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>

Each of us should imagine if our mother had cast us into the street as infants, and a person passing by saw him, took pity on him, took him into his home, and provided for all his needs with much warmth and love, even as he grew and matured...<\/p>

Every person like this, you'll agree with me, how filled with gratitude he would be toward the one who raised him. How committed he would be to him, how quick he would be to fulfill his wish and do all that he asks and to refrain from anything he forbids him...<\/p>

There would be many obligations imposed on him towards the adoptive father who raised him and essentially saved his life.<\/p>

Friends, if we reflect, we will understand how many obligations we certainly have toward the Creator of the Universe who watches over us and provides for our needs from the very moment of our existence, who enlivens us every moment, who gives us eyes to see, feet to walk. Children, livelihood, and what not? Accordingly, each of us must pursue the service of Hashem<\/i>, thank Him for every moment in life and willingly accept His instructions, requests, and demands...<\/strong><\/p>