I have been writing and revising this book for the past seven years, changing and transforming it many times, always for the same reason. After I had been able to express the abstract idea I had in mind I would reflect about it and discover that something deeper lay beyond. If professional demands had not obliged me to produce a fmal manuscript I would never have fmished the writing. If I had been asked to enumerate all the obstacles I faced whilst turning this book into print another and perhaps no less intriguing book would have resulted. I am aware of my good fortune in having fmally fmished the task, and I would like to thank the many people whose help was invaluable. First and foremost I would like to dedicate this book to my late merciful and most beloved mother, Nurit Leshem, and to my wonderful and wise father, Shlomo Leshem, who learned to accept me as I am. My mother's unexpected death and the many existential questions that it presented to me profoundly modified the way I used to think about intellectual matters. It brought me to the strong realization that beyond the scientific and intellectual realm a very simple spiritual truth exists that shapes the way we think.