Have you ever attempted to understand complex material, like the IRS code, or an involved food recipe, and the more you read it-the more it made your head spin?

I love simplicity and when I find a resource that makes complex material simple it’s a life saver. Taking complexity and distilling its parts into a simple message is an art.

Maimonides knew this art very well. He was a Jewish author, physician, scholar, and community leader who settled in Saladin’s Egypt during the 12^th century.

Prior to settling in Cairo, he travelled with his family from Fez to Israel.  He was originally from Cordova, (pictured here) and left with his family at a young age due in search for a better life.

Maimonides was a genius and Renaissance man before the term existed. From a young age he studied languages, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, astronomy, and religion. At the height of his career, he became the top physician for Saladin’s court and the head Rabbi for all Jews living under Saladin’s empire. 

He had the ability to take complex material and distill it into a simplified whole. One of his first projects was  a guide that anyone could use as a reference for the Mishna- an intricate commentary by numerous Jewish scholars on the first five books of the Old Testament. Prior to this new compilation, it was difficult for anyone to sift through the different interpretations. Maimonides was able to connect all the dots and make it easy to find and understand the information.  He also created various guides and manuals for the physicians of his time that outlined the current medical practices. These became very popular and were used for hundreds of years after his death. The religious compilations are still used  today by Jewish scholars around the world.

Your Thoughts and Insights

• How do you simplify complexity in your life?

Photo Credits, Fernando Mandujano