Did You Know the Israel National Trail Has Libraries?

I left Land of Health there for the next person walking through.

Dear Healthy Jew,

Some time ago, while hiking a stretch of the Israel National Trail in the northern Negev, I came across something unexpected: a library.

Nothing fancy, just a simple box of books on the side of the trail.

All across the country, wherever the trail goes, hikers can find these trail libraries — unattended book boxes in the middle of nowhere. You can borrow a book near Beersheba, read it over lunch near Bet Guvrin, and drop it off again in the Jerusalem Mountains. Anyone can contribute just by adding a book.

I thought about leaving a copy of my book, Land of Health, but this box didn’t have any English titles, so I moved on.

Two nights later, I camped in a quiet clearing overlooking Tel Lachish — the same Lachish mentioned in the Tanach, still surrounded by vineyards after 3,000 years. And under a tree, I found another library.

This one had a few English books. So I added Land of Health to the shelf. Now it’s part of the trail; maybe you’ll borrow it next time you’re hiking in Israel.

Tel Lachish towers in background, surrounded by vineyards below.

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Rabbi Shmuel Chaim Naiman

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