Thou Shalt Innovate: a book review by Elana Bowman
It has been debated and argued that Jews are G-d’s chosen people for two reasons. One is that they honour G-d and the other is Tikkun Olam, an obligation, a duty to help heal or repair the world.
Elana Bowman
In this book Avi Jorisch delves into Jewish history and the concept of how 15 innovators chose to innovate and by doing so served their duty, their own obligation of Tikkun Olam.
“When asked why he believes Israel has had such an impact in creating innovations that solve some of the world’s most challenging problems Jorisch replied: “For 3,000 years, the children of Israel have repeated on a daily basis their desire to feed the hungry, cure the sick, provide shelter for the homeless and repair the world. We believe we have a partnership with G-d and have a responsibility to spread morality and social justice. All of this has deeply impacted the cultural DNA of Jewish people and the State of Israel. We aren’t a nation of saints — but we have been seeking higher meaning for the last three millennia.”
Thou Shalt Innovate profiles 15 incredible Israeli innovations that are collectively changing the lives of people around the world.
Learn how Eli Beer and Muhammed Asli teamed together to create the ’uber’ of ambulances United Hatzalah, a fully equipped motorcycle ambulance that can literally save lives by getting to patients quicker than ambulances. In the next 15 years Beer envisions that every neighbourhood will have an EMT volunteer.
Find out how Rafi Mehouder, who honoured Simcha Blass for his drip irrigation system. A system which farmers can use to flood and water their fields. It saves an enormous amount of water and fertilizer.
Channoch Levine worked on finding ways to reduce the damage inflicted by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He spent years working on effective, low-cost missile systems. Eventually the Iron Dome was born, one of the most incomparable defence systems which continues to protect Israel today.
Slomo Navarro invention the Grain Cocoon protects the harvest feeds the hungry and it was imperative after Rwanda’s civil war. The technology and research on the Grain Cocoon protected the cops and prevented bugs. This invention will help farmers feed their families.
Avi Jorisch
Read about innovations in defence, medicine, technology, water consumption and agriculture, all of which affect people everywhere. Because there are so many innovations in Israel, Jorisch found it difficult to choose,. “I could have easily kept going,” he notes, but he chose to highlight the 15 stories because “they spoke to me in a moving and definitive way” and were “rays of light.”
Each study of every innovator in this book demonstrates how Israel’s technological advances have impacted the world. You will find technologies you are familiar with in this book; Medtronic, Bio-Bee Biological Systems, Microsoft, brain pacemakers, robotics, day and night solar water heaters, eye music, geothermal turbines, Google, GPS for brain surgeons, to name a few all deeply and passionately researched. When asked most innovators are saving lives, helping others, finding a gap, or feeling the need to both help and contribute.
Read this book. It is for innovators and innovations everywhere. It is an ode to Israeli advances and technology. It is an example of how ideas in every field, technology, know how, testing, and planning can change a nation and transform the world. As Jorisch stated these innovators represent true Tikkun Olam bringing light upon the world while helping to repair it.
The book includes an appendix of thousands more Israeli innovations and technologies.
The Bible has strong laws of hygeine washing before eating – the Mikva to cleanse the body washing thoroughly.
Food laws avoiding blood full of viruses bacteria parasites and expanding cysts .
Predatory animals except for life and death are forbidden and food cooked cannot be eaten on the third day plus eating animals that have died by disease or my predators .
For safety for workers every house has to have a parapet or wall on the roof to protect people falling off.
There is even a blessing to be pronounced on completing the parapet .
There are strict laws against cruelty to animals .
From the Socioeconomic perspective there is debt forgiveness every seven years and extensive land redistribution in the Fiftieth Yoval Year .