In a year of loss, and breakthroughs, Yuval Noah Harari's playbook to understanding humanity Harari says that meditation can, in some measure, return a little more balance to public conversation. (Image: ynharari.com) Synopsis The historian and bestselling author recommends three books that deal with humans' relationship with other animals. Yuval Noah Harari rang in 2021 in what may be an unusual way for us, but not for the Israeli historian. The professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem was in meditation for two months, as part of an annual practice that he says helps him disconnect, not just from the world, but also his own thoughts.