The Inner Workings of a Cell

B"H

This e-mail is dedicated to my becoming a Rabbi! (Can I dedicate an email to myself?) Mazal Tov!



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"From my flesh, I see God." (Job 19:26)

The world is made up simple structures, and complex ones.
The simple entities can work together nicely - can build upon each other b/c of their similar structures.
Take a brick for example, or a stone. Builders can take thousands of each and build upon each other smoothly.
Or to go a bit deeper, we can look at the computer & internet. It works so efficiently & smoothly b/c it is in essence very simple.
The internet is based on a binary code, made up of 0's & 1's.
But complex things have trouble working together. Whenever there are many different, complex parts working together, we worry for its
breaking down at any moment. They're not supposed to co-exist very well, b/c all the parts are completely different!

But then we see the human body (and the fine tuning of the universe for that matter).
Our body is an incredibly complex system, and yet it works in beautiful harmony, like a billion piece orchestra that plays harmonious music together.
But that's against the rules of logic!
Complex systems aren't supposed to work so smoothly, so soundly and effortlessly.
(Even the occasional disease, G-d Forbid, which seems to break this harmony, works amazingly systematically).

In each of our roughly 72 trillion cells, what's going on will astound you. You must see: Harvard Cell, a video done by a Harvard Professor depicting what goes on.
(For an explanation of the video from the creator, see: ABC Report)

The amazingly beautiful intricacies are boundless, the discoveries of its brilliant workings endless.
By trying to appreciate them, we can come to appreciate the greatness of the One who formed them. Who Created Life.

As Maimonides writes:
“And what is the way for us to fully realize our love and awe for G-d? During those moments when a person contemplates G-d’s creations and wondrous acts, and sees within these creations the Divine wisdom which is endless and has no bounds, immediately he is moved to love G-d, to praise G-d’s glory, and longs with all his desire to know G-d’s great name.” (Hilchot Yesodei Hatorah 2:2)

May we all succeed in surveying Creation with a penetrating eye,
and may we all have an amazing Shabbat!

-Rabbi Dan ;)