I’ve been reading several different books simultaneously because I get bored easily. The three I am currently reading are: The Arab-Israeli Wars by Chaim Herzog, The Science of God by Gerald Schroeder and The Path of the Just(Mesilat Yesharim) by Rabbi Chaim Moshe Luzatto.
Thus far they are all pretty good. The first book mentioned is an in depth look at the military strategy and tactics implemented by the Arabs and Israelis. Its really interesting to see how the battles unfolded and to also learn about the great Generals and how they became great. It also gives an interesting insight into how different each side operates. The Arabs always seemed to be influenced by the Soviet Union in their tactics. The defensive lines implemented were always textbook in application and once the Israelis had them scrambling, they were not able to adapt quickly enough. This is the essence of the Israeli tactics. The Israelis can not afford to be in a protracted war over a long period of time and as a result they have always decisively put their enemies on their heels as quickly as possible. Unfortunately it seems as if their enemies have learned and are now engaging the Israelis in a low-level war of attrition. The Israelis are not able to implement their usual tactics and are suffering now due to an ineffective plan derived from an incredibly inept leadership.
The second book mentioned is nice diversion for someone like me who has only recently(last five years or so) returned to religion, specifically Judaism. Having spent the majority of my adult life as a secular individual, I had all the common ideas of religion derived from science and “common sense.” But after immersing myself in different disciplines of Jewish study, I have learned that my previous thoughts were amateur at best. Most of us learn about religion as children and then grow up with these same childish lessons as our only exposure to religion. So as an adult if you hold beliefs based on the stories you learned as a child, it is no wonder that you will question religion as an adult. But if you spend time studying as an adult, you will learn so much more about religion, but also yourself and the society in which you live. This book is written by an MIT educated physicist. He analyzes many systems in the natural world and helps to understand how these systems work, but in the process you start to realize that none of it could have occurred randomly and on its own. He has written many books, like Genesis and the Big Bang. I also read The Hidden Face of God, which has a slightly less amount of scientific jargon. Anyway, for someone who likes science and theology, this author is a pretty good read.
The final book mentioned is turning out to be a favorite. It was written in the 1700’s by a prodigy of the times. Rabbi Luzatto was very accomplished at a young age. This book, The Path of the Just, is a book about character development. In the introduction he basically tells you that he is not teaching you anything you do not already know; instead he is reminding us that our pursuits should not overshadow our character development. Thus far, it is really interesting to see how insightful he really was about humanity. Another book of his, Derech Hashem(The Way of God), is a classic. One day I might read it again and be able to write about it more clearly than my current understanding of his works.
Anyway, I recommend all three at this time and will probably write some other comments related to all three as time goes on.
