Welcome to our daily Bitachon Shaar Bechinah series. We are exploring the wisdom embedded within the human being. In Chovot HaLevavot (Shaar Cheshbon HaNefesh, Chapter 3), Rabbeinu Bachya outlines thirty different things we are meant to appreciate. 1. Something from Nothing First on his "hit parade" is the contemplation of your own existence: think about how, once upon a time, you didn't exist, and now you do. You are literally yesh me-ayin —something from nothing. Just as God created the universe ex nihilo , He created your "mini-world" as well. While we technically stem from a microscopic seed, the transition to a living human is essentially something from nothing. This was granted without God owing us anything; it is pure kindness, goodness, and generosity. Consider your stature. You were lifted up; you aren't an animal, grass, or a mineral. That alone is reason enough to thank Hashem for your existence. 2. The Adopted Child He brings the famous mashal (parable) of a child abandoned by the roadside. A passerby sees him, feels mercy, and brings him home. He raises him and provides everything he asks for. Hashem is much more than that—He didn't just find us; He meticulously created every one of our limbs. The Steipler Gaon ( Chayei Olam , Chapter 2) echoes this, noting that everything we have is an unearned kindness. Our problem is that we don't appreciate our gifts until they are threatened. We don't value our eyes unless, chas v'shalom , we lose our vision for a time. When it returns, only then do we celebrate. The same is true for our hands; a person in a cast only appreciates the limb once the cast is removed. We must learn to appreciate them while they are functioning. 3. The Miracle of Birth Returning to Shaar Bechinah , the Chovot HaLevavot tells us to appreciate the moment we emerged from the womb. Without any training or "birthing courses," you navigated that narrow canal. Who helped you? Only the Chacham, ha-Rachum, v'Chanun —the Wise, Merciful, and Gracious One. You entered the world weak, with almost no senses functioning other than touch and taste. Yet, God prepared your sustenance immediately. He created a wellspring of milk from your mother, perfectly suited to your needs. It is sweet, tasty, and flows effortlessly—like a spring appearing just as you are stuck in a desert. It isn't too heavy or too light; it's perfect so the child doesn't gag. Beyond the milk itself, Hashem implanted the instinct —the desire and the physical ability to nurse. 4. The Great "System Switch" The Gemara ( Niddah 30b ) discusses a wonder we often overlook: breathing. We cannot survive more than a few minutes without air, yet a child lives in the womb for months without breathing at all. Folded inside, the fetus eats what the mother eats and receives oxygenated blood directly through her system. Think about modern medicine: if someone can't breathe, they need a massive ventilator or a tracheotomy. Man hasn't yet figured out how to perfectly pump oxygenated blood into a person to bypass the lungs the way God does in the womb. This is what we acknowledge every day in the berachah of Asher Yatzar : "If one of them were to be opened, or one of them were to be closed..." ( im yipateach echad meihem o yisatem echad meihem ). The commentaries explain that if the mouth were to open and try to breathe inside the womb, or if it failed to open and breathe the moment we emerged, we could not survive. Hashem performs a perfect "system switch" from the mother's oxygen to the world's air. We get used to these miracles, but we shouldn't. I once knew someone who had to go on dialysis; when they were finally able to get off the machine, their joy was boundless. The Takeaway: Take a moment today to appreciate your birth and the perfect timing of your existence.