Creating us with wisdom

Question by Talia Stern
Hi! I'm excited to be entering my first question(s) to the blog. Here it goes:

Okay, so when we say Asher Yatzar, we begin by saying: "Blessed are You Hashem...that creates the man with wisdom", and continue on: "and created in him many, many holes/openings..." and finally, end by saying: "that if even one of those opened or closed it would be impossible to stand before You [for even a short amount of time]". I have two questions related to this bracha:

1. Firstly, is it correct (medically) that if "even one of those opened or closed" that it would actually be impossible to survive? It seems that there are many medical issues that come up nowadays with our bodies/bodily functions that can be remedied by modern medicine.
2. Secondly: When we say this bracha we thank Hashem for having created us with wisdom. Later in the bracha, we mention that there are many, many holes/openings that Hashem created and that if even one things should go wrong, then we would not survive (due to the messing up of the entire system in our bodies). In no way am I challenging the fact that Hashem DID create us with wisdom but I was just wondering: creating a large, complex system (which we know is true, because the bracha tells us that we have many openings, etc.) in such a way that if "even one" tiny thing should go wrong, somehow seems a little bit weird to me. When a complex system is created, whatever it may be, it should be created in a way that has backups. Someone would not want to build something, or create a system that could be entirely messed up by one small thing going wrong. I was wondering if you could explain to me the connection between Hashem "creating us with wisdom" and the seemingly strange way in which he created our complex bodily system.


Hi Talia

What an interesting question! I can't address your specific biological questions, but I'll give you my more philosophical take on the general question that (I think) you're asking, which is...if Hashem created humans (and really the entire world) with so much wisdom and complexity, then why isn't there a back-up mechanism to fix things when they go wrong, and more generally, how can things go wrong?

There is a famous philosophical concept called the "free will defense" which is used to address the age-old question of "why do bad things happen to good people". In a nutshell, the main idea is that human beings have free will (the ability to make our own choices). In order to always truly have that freedom, our actions must have real consequences. Therefore, even though Hashem created things with great care and wisdom, human beings have the freedom to act and therefore impact the way the world works. For example (and this is a general example...no clue if there is scientific basis for what I'm saying) temperatures are rising and we are concerned about global warming. There is a possibility that glaciers will melt, natural resources will dry up, and our environment will deteriorate. Does this mean that Hashem didn't make the world with wisdom? Of course not...the environment is in danger because human beings have been abusing it for years and years and years. Our actions have consequences, and can/should interfere with how the world works.
(This concept of the free will defense also works in the positive...we can do good things that impact the way the world functions. We can cure diseases, overcome genetic predispositions, etc.)

One important thing to note: there isn't always a direct cause and effect with the free will defense. Meaning, we know that smoking causes lung cancer, but we can't necessarily say that it was any one particular action that caused a certain person to get sick. We don't know how our actions will take effect, but according to the free will defense, they certainly do make an impact (and this is a good thing, we want our actions to be meaningful!).

On a personal note, I am of the opinion that "the exception proves the rule". I absolutely think that looking around the world, at the amazing details of nature and the human body in particular, you see Hashem's hand.
I hope this is clear and am happy to discuss more in person.
Best,
Nina Bieler