Moses Maimonides
(1136-1204)
Maimonides- the man
(1136-1204)
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon was one
of the towering figures in the history of
the Jewish people.
Of him it was said, "From Moshe (Moses) to
Moshe (the son of Maimon) there arose none
like Moshe."
Among the Jewish people, he is known as the
Rambam, an acronym for Rabbi Moshe ben
(son of) Maimon ‫( רמב״ם‬RaMBaM); while
universally - for his fame and influence reached
far beyond the confines of his own people - he is
usually known as Maimonides, the Greek form of
"the son of Maimon."
Maimonides- in his time
Chronology
• born in 1135 in Córdoba, Spain
• Almohades conquered Córdoba in 1148-offered
choice of conversion to Islam, death, or exile
• eventually settled in Fez in Morocco- acquired
most of his secular knowledge, studying at the
University of Fez
• briefly lived in the Holy Land, spending time in
Jerusalem
• finally settled in Fostat, Egypt
Maimonideshis contribution
Maimonides composed both works of
Jewish scholarship, and medical texts.
Most of Maimonides' works were written in
Arabic. However, the Mishneh Torah was
written in Hebrew.
Letter by Rambam
Maimonideshis contribution as a Jewish Thinker
• The Commentary on the Mishna, in Hebrew Pirush
Hamishnayot, written in Arabic. This text was one of the
first commentaries of its kind; its introductory sections
are widely-quoted.;
• Sefer Hamitzvot ("The Book of Commandments").
• The Mishneh Torah (also known as " Sefer Yad haChazaka"), a comprehensive code of Jewish law;
• The Guide for the Perplexed, a philosophical work
harmonizing and differentiating Aristotelian philosophy
and Jewish theology;
• Teshuvot, collected correspondence and responsa,
including a number of public letters
Sefer HaMitzvoth
• Tradition that the Torah contains 613 Mitzvot
– 248 positives
– 365 negatives
• gives an explanation of how he determined
which commandments were the 613
commandments
• Maimonides sets out fourteen rules by which
one comes to include and exclude particular
commandments to form the 613
commandments.
Mishneh Torah
• 3 Sections
– the Book of Knowledge (Sefer HaMada)covers issues of belief, study of Torah,
repentenance
– thirteen books detail Jewish ritual and civil
laws such as blessings, circumcision, holy
days, relationships between males and
females, dietary laws and ethics.
– notion of the Messiah- discusses the time
when Messiah would come- apocolyptic vision
versus Tikkun Olam
Responsa- Teshuvot
Maimonides was a much respected authority on Jewish law
and religion, even prior to his appointment as Chief
Rabbi of the Egyptian Jewry. As a result many Jewish
leaders and authorities directed queries towards and
called upon for his scholarly opinion on matters
ranging from religious law to the general civil issues
which affected Jews in that time.
He wrote various Teshuvot (Responsa) in answer to the
numerous queries which were directed to him from Jews
from all around the world. These Teshuvot deal with a
broad spectrum of issues, ranging from religiophilosophical problems to matters dealing with Jewish
law and to explanations of complex Torah passages.
Moreh Nevuchim
Guide for the Perplexed
• Blended the sacred and secular– Sought to remove compartmentalised sacred
from secular
• defend Judaism against philosophical challenges
that the beliefs of Judaism could not be rationally
sustained.
• deals with the question of anthropomorphisms
(describing God in human terms)
13 principles of faith.
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The existence of God
God's unity
God's spirituality and incorporeality
God's eternity
God alone should be the object of worship
Revelation through God's prophets
The preeminence of Moses among the prophets
God's law given on Mount Sinai
The immutability of the Torah as God's Law
God's foreknowledge of human actions
Reward of good and retribution of evil
The coming of the Jewish Messiah
The resurrection of the dead
different levels of tzedakah (charity)
•
Rambam organized a list from the least to the most honorable.
8. When donations are given grudgingly.
7. When one gives less than he should, but does so cheerfully.
6. When one gives directly to the poor upon being asked.
5. When one gives directly to the poor without being asked.
4. When the recipient is aware of the donor's identity, but the donor does not
know the identity of the recipient.
3. When the donor is aware of the recipient's identity, but the recipient is
unaware of the source.
2. When the donor and recipient are unknown to each other.
1. The highest form of charity is to help sustain a person before they
become impoverished by offering a substantial gift in a dignified manner, or
by extending a suitable loan, or by helping them find employment or
establish themselves in business so as to make it unnecessary for them to
become dependent on others.
How much to give
Back from the time that Abraham welcomed the strangers
into his tent (Genesis chapter 18), charity has been a
foundation of Jewish life. The Torah commands us to
give 10 percent of our earnings to people in need, based
on Leviticus 25:35 and Deut. 15:7-8. This is called
Ma'aser, literally "one tenth" (hence the English word
"tithe"). This is colloquially called tzedakah (charity).
Maimonides lists charity as one of the 613 mitzvot.
Ten percent of a person's wages after taxes should be set
aside for tzedakah. Business expenses and Jewish
education costs may be deducted from the 10 percent.
For those who want to do extra, the Torah allows you to
give 20 percent. Above that amount is unrealistic. If you
give too much, you'll come to neglect other aspects of
your life.
Maimonideshis contribution to medicine
• Maimonides also wrote a number of
medical texts; some of which are still in
existence. The best known is his collection
of medical aphorisms, titled Fusul Musa in
Arabic ("Chapters of Moses", Pirkei Moshe
in Hebrew).
Maimonides' Grave