Daily Bitachon: Shaar HaBechina Welcome to Daily Bitachon in our Shaar HaBechina series. We are now exploring the benefits of the seasons. The Blessing of the Cold Let's start with the cold. Who likes being cold? Well, there are actually incredible benefits to it. Cold acts as a natural form of pest control. Sustained freezing temperatures kill off large numbers of insects, like mosquitoes and ticks, and bacteria that would otherwise multiply out of control and spread disease. Winter also prevents overgrowth; it stops the spread of invasive plants, giving native ecosystems a chance to maintain their balance. In many wonderful warm places, you have malaria and all kinds of diseases from mosquitoes because the forests are simply overgrown. We need a break—a time to "turn everything off"—and that is the beauty of the winter. Nature's "Slow-Release" Battery Another aspect is the "freshwater battery." Seasons are vital for the world's water supplies. In the wintertime, the mountains act like giant batteries, storing water in the form of snow. Then, there is a slow release. You know those slow-release pills you take? Well, God created the original slow-release system. If it rained all year instead of snowing, the water would wash away immediately in floods, as happens in many places that don't have seasons like ours. Because of the seasons, the snow melts slowly in the spring and summer, providing a steady, reliable stream of fresh water to rivers and lakes during the hottest months. It is beautiful how Hashem is literally storing it for later. It is one of the wonders of how Hashem worked it out: it rains and snows in the winter so that we have our luscious summer fruit—the plums, pears, and juicy watermelons. When it's hot outside and you need that hydration, we are using water from the winter that Hashem "put into" the plum of your summer. It's the snow of the winter creating fresh water in the rivers exactly when you need it most. Unbelievable. Atmospheric Churning The change of seasons also cleans up the atmosphere. How so? Seasonal changes drive global wind patterns. As the temperature shifts between summer and winter, it creates large-scale atmospheric churning. This movement helps disperse pollutants and circulates fresh air across the globe, preventing any one area from becoming a stagnant pocket of smog. Think of it like having a little smoke in the kitchen, you open the windows and turn on the fan to let the air blow through. That is what God does naturally, and it's the seasons that create that "churn" of air. Global Circulation This creates massive movements of air and water as different parts of the earth heat up and cool down. As we mentioned, temperature differences create pressure changes that drive global winds. These winds carry moisture to inland areas that would otherwise be dry. We know the water in the ocean is heated by the sun, turns into clouds, and goes into the atmosphere. That's great if you live near the ocean, but we need to get that moist air to the interior of the continents. The wind patterns created by the seasons drives those global winds. That's how weather reports work—by tracking those patterns to predict where the moisture will end up. It also helps the ocean currents. Seasonal changes power the "global conveyor belt" of ocean currents, which move nutrients and heat around the world, supporting massive marine ecosystems. The Great Design This is a phenomenal concept that God put into the world. And where is this all coming from? Let's pause to remember our "good old friend," the sun. But the sun couldn't do it alone; it requires the global tilt. God designed the sun and the earth's tilt to work together, which is why in the Beracha (blessing) of the sun, we speak about Meshane Itim (He who changes the seasons). It is the sun, the global tilt, and the moon keeping everything in balance. This is the magical teamwork of Creation.