Maimonides

For other uses, seeMaimonides (disambiguation).

"Moses ben Maimon" redirects here. For the Moroccan kabbalist, seeMoses ben Maimon Albas.

For the Haifa hospital, seeRambam Health Care Campus.

Maimonides (Moshe ben Maimon)
Purported portrait of Maimonides from which all modern portraits are derived,Thesaurus Antiquitatum Sacrarumc. 1744
Born	30 Marchor 6 April1135 Possibly born 28 March or 4 April1138 Córdoba,Almoravid Empire
Died	12 December 1204 (66–69 years old) Fostat,Ayyubid Sultanate
Notable work	Mishneh Torah The Guide for the Perplexed
Spouse	(1) daughter of Nathaniel Baruch (2) daughter of Mishael Halevi
Era	Medieval philosophy 12th-century philosophy
Region	Middle Eastern philosophy Jewish philosophy
School	Aristotelianism
Language	Judeo-Arabic,Medieval Hebrew
Main interests	Theology,Halakha,Astronomy,Medicine
Notable ideas	Maimonides' rule,Golden mean,13 principles of faith
Signature

Moses ben Maimon(1138–1204), commonly known asMaimonides(/maɪˈmɒnɪdiːz/my-MON-ih-deez)and also referred to by the Hebrew acronymRambam(Hebrew:רמב״ם),was aSephardicrabbi andphilosopherwho became one of the most prolific and influentialTorahscholars of theMiddle Ages.In his time, he was also a preeminentastronomerandphysician,serving as the personal physician ofSaladin.He was born and lived inCórdobainal-Andalus(now in Spain) within theAlmoravid EmpireonPassovereve 1138 or 1135,until his family was expelled for refusing to convert to Islam.Later, he lived in Morocco and Egypt and worked as a rabbi, physician and philosopher.

During his lifetime, most Jews greeted Maimonides' writings onJewish lawandethicswith acclaim and gratitude, even as far away as Iraq and Yemen. Yet, while Maimonides rose to become the revered head of theJewish community in Egypt,his writings also had vociferous critics, particularly in Spain. He died inFustat,Egypt and, according to Jewish tradition, was buried inTiberias.TheTomb of Maimonidesin Tiberias is a popular pilgrimage and tourist site.

He was posthumously acknowledged as one of the foremostrabbinic decisorsand philosophers inJewish history,and his copious work comprises a cornerstone of Jewish scholarship. His fourteen-volumeMishneh Torahstill carries significant canonical authority as a codification ofHalacha.

Aside from being revered by Jewish historians, Maimonides also figures very prominently in the history of Islamic and Arab sciences. Influenced byAristotle,Al-Farabi,Ibn Sina,and his contemporaryIbn Rushd,he became a prominent philosopher andpolymathin both the Jewish andIslamic worlds.

Name

Maimonides referred to himself as "Moses, son of Rabbi Maimonthe Spaniard"(Hebrew:משה ברבי מימון הספרדי).In Medieval Hebrew he was usually calledר״ם,short for "our Rabbi Moshe", but mostly he is calledרמב״ם,short for "our Rabbi, Moshe son of Maimon" and pronouncedRambam.

In Arabic, he is sometimes called "Moses 'son ofAmram'son of Maimon, of Obadiah,theCordoban"(أَبُو عَمْرَان مُوسَى بْن مَيْمُون بْن عُبَيْد ٱللّٰه ٱلْقُرْطُبِيّ,Abū ʿImrān Mūsā bin Maimūn bin ʿUbaydallāh al-Qurṭubī), or more often simply "Moses, son of Maimon" (موسى بن ميمون).

In Greek, the Hebrewben('son of') becomes thepatronymicsuffix-ides,forming Μωησής Μαϊμονίδης "Moses Maimonides".

He is sometimes known as "The Great Eagle" (Hebrew:הנשר הגדול,romanized:haNesher haGadol).

Biography

Further information:History of the Jews in Egypt § Arab rule (641 to 1250)

Early years

The dominion of theAlmohad Caliphateat its greatest extent,c.1200

Maimonides was born 1138 (or 1135) in Córdoba in theMuslim-ruledAlmoravid Caliphateat the end of thegolden age of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsulaafter the first centuries of Muslim rule. His father,Maimon ben Joseph,was adayyanor rabbinic judge.Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohenlater wrote that he had traced Maimonides' descent back toSimeon ben Judah ha-Nasifrom theDavidic line.His ancestry, going back four generations, is given in hisEpistle to Yemenas Moses son of Maimon the Judge, son of Joseph the Wise, son of Isaac the Rabbi, son of Obadiah the Judge.At the end of his commentary on theMishnah,however, a slightly different genealogy is presented: Moses son of Maimon the Judge, son of Joseph the Wise, son of Isaac the Judge, son of Joseph the Judge, son of Obadiah the Judge, son of Solomon the Rabbi, son of Obadiah the Judge.

Maimonidesstudied Torahunder his father, who had in turn studied underJoseph ibn Migash,a student ofIsaac Alfasi.At an early age, Maimonides developed an interest in sciences and philosophy. He readancient Greek philosophyaccessible via Arabic translations and was deeply immersed in the sciences and learning ofIslamic culture.

Maimonides, who was revered for his personality as well as for his writings, led a busy life, and wrote many of his works while travelling or in temporary accommodation.

Exile

Maimonides' house inFez, Morocco,according to local tradition. It is now occupied by theDar al-Magana.

ABerberdynasty, theAlmohads,conquered Córdoba in 1148 and abolisheddhimmistatus (i.e., state protection of non-Muslims ensured through payment of a tax, thejizya) in someof their territories. The loss of this status forced theJewishand Christian communities to choose betweenconversion to Islam,death,orexile.Many Jews were forced to convert, but due to suspicion by the authorities of fake conversions, the new converts had to wear identifying clothing that set them apart and made them subject to public scrutiny.

Maimonides' family, along with many otherJews,chose exile. For the next ten years, Maimonides moved about in southern Spain and North Africa, eventually settling inFez, Morocco.Some say that his teacher in Fez was RabbiYehuda Ha-Cohen Ibn Susan,until the latter was killed in 1165.

During this time, he composed his acclaimed commentary on theMishnah,during the years 1166–1168.

Following this sojourn in Morocco, he lived inPalestinewith his father and brother, before settling inFustatinFatimid Caliphate-controlled Egypt by 1168.There is mention that Maimonides first settled in Alexandria, and moved to Fustat only in 1171. While inCairo,he studied in ayeshivaattached to a smallsynagogue,which now bears his name.In Palestine, he prayed at theTemple Mount.He wrote that this day of visiting the Temple Mount was a day of holiness for him and his descendants.

Maimonides shortly thereafter was instrumental in helping rescue Jews taken captive during the ChristianAmalric of Jerusalem's siege of the southeasternNile Deltatown ofBilbeis.He sent five letters to the Jewish communities ofLower Egyptasking them to pool money together to pay theransom.The money was collected and then given to two judges sent to Palestine to negotiate with the Crusaders. The captives were eventually released.

Death of his brother

Monument inCórdoba

Following this success, the Maimonides family, hoping to increase their wealth, gave their savings to his brother, the youngest son David ben Maimon, a merchant. Maimonides directed his brother to procure goods only at theSudaneseport ofʿAydhab.After a long, arduous trip through the desert, however, David was unimpressed by the goods on offer there. Against his brother's wishes, David boarded a ship for India, since great wealth was to be found in the East.Before he could reach his destination, David drowned at sea sometime between 1169 and 1177. The death of his brother caused Maimonides to become sick with grief.

In a letter discovered in theCairo Geniza,he wrote:

The greatest misfortune that has befallen me during my entire life—worse than anything else—was the demise of the saint, may his memory be blessed, who drowned in the Indian sea, carrying much money belonging to me, to him, and to others, and left with me a little daughter and a widow. On the day I received that terrible news I fell ill and remained in bed for about a year, suffering from a sore boil, fever, anddepression,and was almost given up. About eight years have passed, but I am still mourning and unable to accept consolation. And how should I console myself? He grew up on my knees, he was my brother, [and] he was my student.

Nagid

Bas reliefof Maimonides in theUnited States House of Representatives

Around 1171, Maimonides was appointed theNagidof the Egyptian Jewish community.ArabistShelomo Dov Goiteinbelieves the leadership he displayed during the ransoming of the Crusader captives led to this appointment.However he was replaced bySar Shalom ben Mosesin 1173. Over the controversial course of Sar Shalom's appointment, during which Sar Shalom was accused oftax farming,Maimonides excommunicated and fought with him for several years until Maimonides was appointed Nagid in 1195. A work known as "Megillat Zutta" was written byAbraham ben Hillel,who writes a scathing description of Sar Shalom while praising Maimonides as "the light of east and west and unique master and marvel of the generation."

Physician

With the loss of the family funds tied up in David's business venture, Maimonides assumed the vocation of physician, for which he was to become famous. He had trained in medicine in both Spain and in Fez. Gaining widespread recognition, he was appointed court physician toal-Qadi al-Fadil,the chief secretary to SultanSaladin,then to Saladin himself; after whose death he remained a physician to theAyyubid dynasty.

Anautographfrom theCairo Genizawith words in Arabic and their Romance translations, both written in Hebrew script

In his medical writings, Maimonides described many conditions, includingasthma,diabetes,hepatitis,andpneumonia,and he emphasized moderation and a healthy lifestyle.His treatises became influential for generations of physicians. He was knowledgeable about Greek and Arabic medicine, and followed the principles ofhumorismin the tradition ofGalen.He did not blindly accept authority but used his own observation and experience.Julia Bess Frank indicates that Maimonides in his medical writings sought to interpret works of authorities so that they could become acceptable.Maimonides displayed in his interactions with patients attributes that today would be calledintercultural awarenessand respect for the patient'sautonomy.Although he frequently wrote of his longing for solitude in order to come closer to God and to extend his reflections—elements considered essential in his philosophy to the prophetic experience—he gave over most of his time to caring for others.In a famous letter, Maimonides describes his daily routine. After visiting the Sultan's palace, he would arrive home exhausted and hungry, where "I would find the antechambers filled with gentiles and Jews [...] I would go to heal them, and write prescriptions for their illnesses [...] until the evening [...] and I would be extremely weak."

As he goes on to say in this letter, even onShabbathe would receive members of the community. Still, he managed to write extended treatises, including not only medical and other scientific studies but some of the most systematically thought-through and influential treatises onhalakha(rabbinic law) and Jewish philosophy of the Middle Ages.

In 1172–74, Maimonides wrote his famousEpistle to Yemen.It has been suggested that his "incessant travail" undermined his own health and brought about his death at 69 (although this is a normal lifespan).

Death

See also:Tomb of Maimonides

TheTomb of MaimonidesinTiberias

Maimonides died on 12 December 1204 (20th ofTevet4965) in Fustat. A variety of medieval sources beginning withAl-Qiftimaintain that his body was interred nearLake Tiberias,though there is no contemporary evidence for his removal from Egypt.Gedaliah ibn Yahyarecords that "He was buried in theUpper Galileewith elegies upon his gravestone. In the time of[David] Kimhi,when the sons ofBelialrose up to besmirch [Maimonides]... they did evil. They altered his gravestone, which previously had been inscribed 'choicest of the human race (מבחר המין האנושי)', so that instead it read 'the excommunicated heretic (מוחרם ומין)'. But later, after the provocateurs had repented of their act, and praised this great man, a student repaired the gravestone to read 'choicest of the Israelites (מבחר המין הישראלי)' ".Today, Tiberias hosts theTomb of Maimonides,on which is inscribed "FromMosesto Moses arose none like Moses. "

Maimonides and his wife, the daughter of Mishael ben Yeshayahu Halevi, had one child who survived into adulthood,Abraham Maimonides,who became recognized as a great scholar. He succeeded Maimonides as Nagid and as courtphysicianat the age of eighteen. Throughout his career, he defended his father's writings against all critics. The office of Nagid was held by the Maimonides family for four successive generations until the end of the 14th century.

Astatue of Maimonideswas erected near theCórdoba Synagogue.

Maimonides is sometimes said to be a descendant ofKing David,although he never made such a claim.

Works

Mishneh Torah

Main article:Mishneh Torah

WithMishneh Torah,Maimonides composed a code ofJewish lawwith the widest-possible scope and depth. The work gathers all the binding laws from theTalmud,and incorporates the positions of theGeonim(post-Talmudic early Medieval scholars, mainly fromMesopotamia). It is also known asYad ha-Chazakaor simplyYad(יד) which has the numerical value 14, representing the 14 books of the work. TheMishneh Torahmade following Jewish law easier for the Jews of his time, who were struggling to understand the complex nature of Jewish rules and regulations as they had adapted over the years.

Later codes of Jewish law, e.g.Arba'ah Turimby RabbiJacob ben AsherandShulchan Aruchby RabbiYosef Karo,draw heavily onMishneh Torah:both often quote whole sections verbatim. However, it met initially with much opposition.There were two main reasons for this opposition. First, Maimonides had refrained from adding references to his work for the sake of brevity; second, in the introduction, he gave the impression of wanting to "cut out" study of the Talmud,to arrive at a conclusion in Jewish law, although Maimonides later wrote that this was not his intent. His most forceful opponents were the rabbis ofProvence(Southern France), and a running critique by RabbiAbraham ben David(Raavad III) is printed in virtually all editions ofMishneh Torah.Nevertheless, Mishneh Torah was recognized as a monumental contribution to the systemized writing ofhalakha.Throughout the centuries, it has been widely studied and its halakhic decisions have weighed heavily in later rulings.

In response to those who would attempt to force followers of Maimonides and hisMishneh Torahto abide by the rulings of his ownShulchan Aruchor other later works, RabbiYosef Karowrote: "Who would dare force communities who follow the Rambam to follow any otherdecisor[of Jewish law], early or late? [...] The Rambam is the greatest of the decisors, and all the communities of theLand of Israeland theArabistanand theMaghrebpractice according to his word, and accepted him as their rabbi. "

An oft-cited legal maxim from his pen is: "It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death."He argued that executing a defendant on anything less than absolute certainty would lead to a slippery slope of decreasing burdens of proof, until defendants would be convicted merely according to the judge's caprice.

Other Judaic and philosophical works

An autograph fragment of Maimonides'Guide for the Perplexed(Judeo-Arabic)

Autograph manuscript of Maimonides'CommentarytoTractate Sukkah,written inJudeo-Arabicsolitreo

Maimonides composed works of Jewish scholarship,rabbinic law,philosophy, and medical texts. Most of Maimonides' works were written inJudeo-Arabic.However, theMishneh Torahwas written in Hebrew. In addition to Mishneh Torah, his Jewish texts were:

• Commentary on the Mishna(ArabicKitab al-Siraj,translated into Hebrew asPirush Hamishnayot), written inClassical Arabicusing theHebrew alphabet.This was the first full commentary ever written on the entire Mishnah, which took Maimonides seven years to complete. It is considered one of the most important Mishnah commentaries, having enjoyed great popularity both in its Arabic original and its medieval Hebrew translation. The commentary includes three philosophical introductions which were also highly influential:
  • The Introduction to the Mishnah deals with the nature of the oral law, the distinction between the prophet and the sage, and the organizational structure of the Mishnah.
  • The Introduction to MishnahSanhedrin,chapter ten (Pereḳ Ḥeleḳ), is an eschatological essay that concludes with Maimonides' famous creed ( "the thirteen principles of faith" ).
  • The Introduction toPirkei Avot,popularly calledThe Eight Chapters,is an ethical treatise.
• Sefer Hamitzvot(The Book of Commandments). In this work, Maimonides lists all the613 mitzvottraditionally contained in the Torah (Pentateuch). He describes fourteenshorashim(roots or principles) to guide his selection.
• Sefer Ha'shamad(Letter of Martydom)
• The Guide for the Perplexed,a philosophical work harmonising and differentiating Aristotle's philosophy and Jewish theology. Written in Judeo-Arabic under the titleDalālat al-ḥāʾirīn,and completed between 1186 and 1190.It has been suggested that the title is derived from the Arabic phrasedalīl al-mutaḥayyirin(guide of the perplexed) a name for God in a work byal-Ghazālī,echoes of whose work can be found elsewhere in Maimonides.The first translation of this work into Hebrew was done bySamuel ibn Tibbonin 1204 just prior to Maimonides' death.
• Teshuvot,collected correspondence andresponsa,including a number of public letters (on resurrection and theafterlife,on conversion to other faiths, andIggereth Teiman—addressed to the oppressedJewry of Yemen).
• Hilkhot ha-Yerushalmi,a fragment of a commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud, identified and published bySaul Liebermanin 1947.
• Commentaries to theBabylonian Talmud,of which fragments survive.

Medical works

Maimonides' achievements in the medical field are well known, and are cited by many medieval authors. One of his more important medical works is hisGuide to Good Health(Regimen Sanitatis), which he composed in Arabic for the Sultanal-Afdal,son ofSaladin,who suffered fromdepression.The work was translated into Latin, and published in Florence in 1477, becoming the first medical book to appear in print there.While his prescriptions may have become obsolete, "his ideas about preventive medicine, public hygiene, approach to the suffering patient, and the preservation of the health of the soul have not become obsolete."Maimonides wrote ten known medical works inArabicthat have been translated by theJewish medical ethicistFred Rosnerinto contemporary English.Lectures, conferences and research on Maimonides, even recently in the 21st century, have been done at medical universities inMorocco.

• Regimen Sanitatis,Suessmann Muntner (ed.),Mossad Harav Kook:Jerusalem 1963 (translated into Hebrew byMoshe Ibn Tibbon) (OCLC729184001)
• The Art of Cure – Extracts from Galen(Barzel, 1992, Vol. 5)is essentially an extract ofGalen's extensive writings.
• Commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates(Rosner, 1987, Vol. 2; Hebrew:פירוש לפרקי אבוקראט) is interspersed with his own views.
• Medical Aphorismsof Moses(Rosner, 1989, Vol. 3) titledFusul MusainArabic( "Chapters of Moses", Hebrew:פרקי משה) contains 1500 aphorisms and many medical conditions are described.
• Treatise on Hemorrhoids(in Rosner, 1984, Vol. 1; Hebrew:ברפואת הטחורים) discusses also digestion and food.
• Treatise on Cohabitation(in Rosner, 1984, Vol. 1) contains recipes asaphrodisiacsand anti-aphrodisiacs.
• Treatise on Asthma(Rosner, 1994, Vol. 6)discusses climates and diets and their effect on asthma and emphasizes the need for clean air.
• Treatise on Poisons and Their Antidotes(in Rosner, 1984, Vol. 1) is an earlytoxicologytextbook that remained popular for centuries.
• Regimen of Health(in Rosner, 1990, Vol. 4; Hebrew:הנהגת הבריאות) is a discourse on healthy living and the mind-body connection.
• Discourse on the Explanation of Fitsadvocates healthy living and the avoidance of overabundance.
• Glossary of Drug Names(Rosner, 1992, Vol. 7)represents apharmacopeiawith 405 paragraphs with the names of drugs in Arabic, Greek, Syrian, Persian, Berber, and Spanish.

The Oath of Maimonides

TheOath of Maimonidesis a document about the medical calling and recited as a substitute for theHippocratic Oath.It is not to be confused with a more lengthyPrayer of Maimonides.These documents may not have been written by Maimonides, but later.ThePrayerappeared first in print in 1793 and has been attributed toMarkus Herz,a German physician, pupil ofImmanuel Kant.

Treatise on logic

TheTreatise on Logic(Arabic:Maqala Fi-Sinat Al-Mantiq) has been printed 17 times, including editions inLatin(1527),German(1805, 1822, 1833, 1828),French(1936) by Moïse Ventura and in 1996 by Rémi Brague, and English (1938) by Israel Efros, and in an abridged Hebrew form. The work illustrates the essentials of Aristotelian logic to be found in the teachings of the greatIslamic philosopherssuch asAvicennaand, above all,Al-Farabi,"the Second Master," the "First Master" beingAristotle.In his work devoted to the Treatise,Rémi Braguestresses the fact that Al-Farabi is the only philosopher mentioned therein. This indicates a line of conduct for the reader, who must read the text keeping in mind Al-Farabi's works on logic. In the Hebrew versions, the Treatise is calledThe words of Logicwhich describes the bulk of the work. The author explains the technical meaning of the words used by logicians. The Treatise duly inventories the terms used by the logician and indicates what they refer to. The work proceeds rationally through a lexicon of philosophical terms to a summary of higher philosophical topics, in 14 chapters corresponding to Maimonides' birthdate of 14 Nissan. The number 14 recurs in many of Maimonides' works. Each chapter offers a cluster of associated notions. The meaning of the words is explained and illustrated with examples. At the end of each chapter, the author carefully draws up the list of words studied.

Until very recently, it was accepted that Maimonides wrote theTreatise on Logicin his twenties or even in his teen years.Herbert Davidson has raised questions about Maimonides' authorship of this short work (and of other short works traditionally attributed to Maimonides). He maintains that Maimonides was not the author at all, based on a report of two Arabic-language manuscripts, unavailable to Western investigators in Asia Minor.RabbiYosef Kafihmaintained that it is by Maimonides and newly translated it to Hebrew (asBeiur M'lekhet HaHiggayon) from the Judeo-Arabic.

Philosophy

ThroughThe Guide for the Perplexedand the philosophical introductions to sections of his commentaries on the Mishna, Maimonides exerted an important influence on theScholasticphilosophers, especially onAlbertus Magnus,Thomas AquinasandDuns Scotus.He was a Jewish Scholastic. Educated more by reading the works of Arab Muslim philosophers than by personal contact with Arabian teachers, he acquired an intimate acquaintance not only with Arab Muslim philosophy, but with the doctrines of Aristotle. Maimonides strove to reconcileAristotelianismand science with the teachings of theTorah.In hisGuide for the Perplexed,he often explains the function and purpose of the statutory provisions contained in the Torah against the backdrop of the historical conditions. The book washighly controversialin its day, and was banned by French rabbis, who burnt copies of the work inMontpellier.

Thirteen principles of faith

Main article:Jewish principles of faith

In his commentary on the Mishnah (Tractate Sanhedrin,chapter 10), Maimonides formulates his "13 principles of faith"; and that these principles summarized what he viewed as the required beliefs of Judaism:

1. Theexistence of God.
2. God'sunityand indivisibility into elements.
3. God'sspiritualityandincorporeality.
4. God'seternity.
5. God aloneshould be the object ofworship.
6. Revelationthrough God'sprophets.
7. The preeminence ofMosesamong the prophets.
8. That the entire Torah (both the Written and Oral law) are of Divine origin and were dictated to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai.
9. TheTorahgiven by Moses is permanent and will not be replaced or changed.
10. God's awareness of all human actions and thoughts.
11. Reward of righteousness and punishment of evil.
12. The coming of theJewish Messiah.
13. Theresurrection of the dead.

Maimonides is said to have compiled the principles from various Talmudic sources. These principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism by RabbisHasdai CrescasandJoseph Albo,and were effectively ignored by much of the Jewish community for the next few centuries.However, these principles have become widely held and are considered to be the cardinal principles of faith forOrthodox Jews.Two poetic restatements of these principles (Ani Ma'aminandYigdal) eventually became canonized in many editions of theSiddur(Jewish prayer book).

The omission of a list of these principles as such within his later works, theMishneh TorahandThe Guide for the Perplexed,has led some to suggest that either he retracted his earlier position, or that these principles are descriptive rather than prescriptive.

Theology

Depiction of Maimonides teaching students about the 'measure of man' in anilluminated manuscript

Maimonides equated theGod of Abrahamto what philosophers refer to as theNecessary Being.God is unique in the universe, and the Torah commands that oneloveandfearGod (Deut10:12) on account of that uniqueness. To Maimonides, this meant that one ought to contemplate God's works and to marvel at the order and wisdom that went into their creation. When one does this, one inevitably comes to love God and to sense how insignificant one is in comparison to God. This is the basis of the Torah.

The principle that inspired his philosophical activity was identical to a fundamental tenet ofscholasticism:there can be no contradiction between the truths which God has revealed and the findings of the human mind in science and philosophy. Maimonides primarily relied upon the science of Aristotle and the teachings of the Talmud, commonly claiming to find a basis for the latter in the former.

Maimonides' admiration for theNeoplatonic commentatorsled him to doctrines which the later Scholastics did not accept. For instance, Maimonides was an adherent ofapophatic theology.In this theology, one attempts to describe God through negative attributes. For example, one should not say that God exists in the usual sense of the term; it can be said that God is not non-existent. One should not say that "God is wise"; but it can be said that "God is not ignorant," i.e., in some way, God has some properties of knowledge. One should not say that "God is One," but it can be stated that "there is no multiplicity in God's being." In brief, the attempt is to gain and express knowledge of God by describing what God is not, rather than by describing what God "is."

Maimonides argued adamantly that God is not corporeal. This was central to his thinking about the sin ofidolatry.Maimonides insisted that all of theanthropomorphicphrases pertaining to God in sacred texts are to be interpretedmetaphorically.A related tenet of Maimonidean theology is the notion that thecommandments,especially those pertaining tosacrifices,are intended to help wean the Israelites away from idolatry.

Maimonides also argued that God embodiedreason,intellect,science,andnature,and wasomnipotentand indescribable.He said that science, the growth of scientific fields, and discovery of the unknown by comprehension of nature was a way to appreciate God.

Character development

See also:Golden mean (Judaism)

Maimonides taught about the developing of one'smoral character.Although his life predated the modern concept of apersonality,Maimonides believed that each person has an innate disposition along an ethical and emotional spectrum. Although one's disposition is often determined by factors outside of one's control, human beings havefree willto choose to behave in ways that build character.He wrote, "One is obligated to conduct his affairs with others in a gentle and pleasing manner."Maimonides advised that those with antisocial character traits should identify those traits and then make a conscious effort to behave in the opposite way. For example, an arrogant person should practice humility.If the circumstances of one's environment are such that it is impossible to behave ethically, one must move to a new location.

Prophecy

Maimonides agreed with "the Philosopher" (Aristotle) that the use of logic is the "right" way of thinking. He claimed that in order to understand how to know God, every human being must, by study, and meditation attain the degree of perfection required to reach thepropheticstate. Despite his rationalistic approach, he does not explicitly reject the previous ideas (as portrayed, for example, by RabbiYehuda Haleviin hisKuzari) that in order to become a prophet, God must intervene. Maimonides teaches that prophecy is the highest purpose of the most learned and refined individuals.

The problem of evil

Maimonides wrote ontheodicy(the philosophical attempt to reconcile the existence of a God with the existence of evil). He took the premise that an omnipotent and good God exists.InThe Guide for the Perplexed,Maimonides writes that all the evil that exists within human beings stems from their individual attributes, while all good comes from a universally shared humanity (Guide 3:8). He says that there are people who are guided by higher purpose, and there are those who are guided by physicality and must strive to find the higher purpose with which to guide their actions.

To justify the existence of evil, assuming God is both omnipotent and omnibenevolent, Maimonides postulates that one who created something by causing its opposite not to exist is not the same as creating something that exists; so evil is merely the absence of good. God did not create evil, rather God created good, and evil exists where good is absent (Guide 3:10). Therefore, all good is divine invention, and evil both is not and comes secondarily.

Maimonides contests the common view that evil outweighs good in the world. He says that if one were to examine existence only in terms of humanity, then that person may observe evil to dominate good, but if one looks at the whole of the universe, then he sees good is significantly more common than evil (Guide 3:12). Man, he reasons, is too insignificant a figure in God's myriad works to be their primary characterizing force, and so when people see mostly evil in their lives, they are not taking into account the extent of positive Creation outside of themselves.

Maimonides believes that there are three types of evil in the world: evil caused by nature, evil that people bring upon others, and evil man brings upon himself (Guide 3:12). The first type of evil Maimonides states is the rarest form, but arguably of the most necessary—the balance of life and death in both the human and animal worlds itself, he recognizes, is essential to God's plan. Maimonides writes that the second type of evil is relatively rare, and that humanity brings it upon itself. The third type of evil humans bring upon themselves and is the source of most of the ills of the world. These are the result of people's falling victim to their physical desires. To prevent the majority of evil which stems from harm one does to oneself, one must learn how to respond to one's bodily urges.

Skepticism of astrology

Further information:Jewish views on astrology

Maimonides answered an inquiry concerning astrology, addressed to him fromMarseille.He responded that man should believe only what can be supported either by rational proof, by the evidence of the senses, or by trustworthy authority. He affirms that he had studied astrology, and that it does not deserve to be described as a science. He ridicules the concept that the fate of a man could be dependent upon the constellations; he argues that such a theory would rob life of purpose, and would make man a slave of destiny.

True beliefs versus necessary beliefs

InThe Guide for the PerplexedBook III, Chapter 28,Maimonides draws a distinction between "true beliefs," which were beliefs about God that produced intellectual perfection, and "necessary beliefs," which were conducive to improving social order. Maimonides places anthropomorphic personification statements about God in the latter class. He uses as an example the notion that God becomes "angry" with people who do wrong. In the view of Maimonides (taken fromAvicenna), God does not become angry with people, as God has no human passions; but it is important for them to believe God does, so that they desist from doing wrong.

Righteousness and charity

Maimonides conceived of an eight-level hierarchy oftzedakah,where the highest form is to give a gift, loan, or partnership that will result in the recipient becoming self-sufficient instead of living upon others. In his view, the lowest form oftzedakahis to give begrudgingly.The eight levels are:

1. Giving begrudgingly
2. Giving less than you should, but giving it cheerfully
3. Giving after being asked
4. Giving before being asked
5. Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows your identity
6. Giving when you know the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know your identity
7. Giving when neither party knows the other's identity
8. Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant

Eschatology

See also:Jewish eschatology

The Messianic era

Perhaps one of Maimonides' most highly acclaimed and renowned writings is his treatise on the Messianic era, written originally inJudeo-Arabicand which he elaborates on in great detail in his Commentary on theMishnah(Introduction to the 10th chapter oftractate Sanhedrin,also known asPereḳ Ḥeleḳ).

Resurrection

Religious Jews believed in immortality in a spiritual sense, and most believed that the future would include a messianic era and a resurrection of the dead. This is the subject ofJewish eschatology.Maimonides wrote much on this topic, but in most cases he wrote about the immortality of the soul for people of perfected intellect; his writings were usuallynotabout the resurrection of dead bodies. Rabbis of his day were critical of this aspect of this thought, and there was controversy over his true views.

Eventually, Maimonides felt pressured to write a treatise on the subject, known as "The Treatise on Resurrection." In it, he wrote that those who claimed that he believed the verses of theHebrew Biblereferring to the resurrection were only allegorical were spreading falsehoods. Maimonides asserts that belief in resurrection is a fundamental truth of Judaism about which there is no disagreement.

While his position on theWorld to Come(non-corporeal eternal life as described above) may be seen as being in contradiction with his position on bodily resurrection, Maimonides resolved them with a then unique solution: Maimonides believed that the resurrection was not permanent or general. In his view, God never violates the laws of nature. Rather, divine interaction is by way ofangels,whom Maimonides often regards to be metaphors for the laws of nature, the principles by which the physical universe operates, or Platonic eternal forms.Thus, if a unique event actually occurs, even if it is perceived as a miracle, it is not a violation of the world's order.

In this view, any dead who are resurrected must eventually die again. In his discussion of the13 principles of faith,the first five deal with knowledge of God, the next four deal with prophecy and the Torah, while the last four deal with reward, punishment and the ultimate redemption. In this discussion Maimonides says nothing of a universal resurrection. All he says it is that whatever resurrection does take place, it will occur at an indeterminate time before the world to come, which he repeatedly states will be purely spiritual.

The World to Come

Maimonides distinguishes two kinds of intelligence in man, the one material in the sense of being dependent on, and influenced by, the body, and the other immaterial, that is, independent of the bodily organism. The latter is a direct emanation from the universalactive intellect;this is his interpretation of thenoûs poietikósof Aristotelian philosophy. It is acquired as the result of the efforts of the soul to attain a correct knowledge of the absolute, pure intelligence of God.

The knowledge of God is a form of knowledge which develops in us the immaterial intelligence, and thus confers on man an immaterial, spiritual nature. This confers on the soul that perfection in which human happiness consists, and endows the soul withimmortality.One who has attained a correct knowledge of God has reached a condition of existence, which renders him immune from all the accidents of fortune, from all the allurements of sin, and from death itself. Man is in a position to work out his own salvation and his immortality.

Baruch Spinoza's doctrine of immortality was strikingly similar. However, Spinoza teaches that the way to attain the knowledge which confers immortality is the progress from sense-knowledge through scientific knowledge to philosophical intuition of all thingssub specie æternitatis,while Maimonides holds that the road to perfection and immortality is the path of duty as described in theTorahand the rabbinic understanding of theoral law.

Maimonides describes the world to come as the stage after a person lives their life in this world as well as the final state of existence after the Messianic Era. Some time after the resurrection of the dead, souls will live forever without bodies. They will enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence without the need for food, drink or sexual pleasures.

Maimonides and Kabbalah

Maimonides was not known as a supporter ofKabbalah,although a strong intellectual type of mysticism has been discerned in his philosophy.InThe Guide for the Perplexed,Maimonides declares his intention to conceal from the average reader his explanations ofSodesoteric meanings of Torah. The nature of these "secrets" is debated. Religious Jewish rationalists, and the mainstream academic view, read Maimonides' Aristotelianism as a mutually-exclusive alternative metaphysics toKabbalah.Some academics hold that Maimonides' project fought against the Proto-Kabbalah of his time.

Maimonides employed rationalism to defend Judaism rather than limit inquiry ofSodonly to rationalism. His rationalism, if not taken as an opposition,also assisted the Kabbalists, purifying their transmitted teaching from mistakencorporealinterpretations that could have been made fromHekhalot literature,though Kabbalists held that their theosophy alone allowed human access to Divine mysteries.

Influence and legacy

The title page ofThe Guide for the Perplexed

Maimonides'Mishneh Torahis considered by Jews even today as one of the chief authoritative codifications of Jewish law and ethics. It is exceptional for its logical construction, concise and clear expression and extraordinary learning, so that it became a standard against which other later codifications were often measured.It is still closely studied in rabbinicyeshivot(seminaries). The first to compile a comprehensive lexicon containing an alphabetically arranged list of difficult words found in Maimonides'Mishneh TorahwasTanḥum ha-Yerushalmi(1220–1291).A popular medieval saying that also served as hisepitaphstates, "FromMosheh[of the Torah] to Mosheh [Maimonides] there was none like Mosheh. "It chiefly referred to his rabbinic writings.

However, Maimonides was also one of the most influential figures in medieval Jewish philosophy. His adaptation ofAristotelian thoughtto Biblical faith deeply impressed later Jewish thinkers, and had an unexpected immediate historical impact.Some more acculturated Jews in the century that followed his death, particularly in Spain, sought to apply Maimonides' Aristotelianism in ways that undercut traditionalist belief and observance, giving rise to anintellectual controversyin Spanish and southern French Jewish circles.The intensity of debate spurred Catholic Church interventions against "heresy" and a general confiscation of rabbinic texts.

In reaction, the more radical interpretations of Maimonides were defeated. At least amongst Ashkenazi Jews, there was a tendency to ignore his specifically philosophical writings and to stress instead the rabbinic and halakhic writings. These writings often included considerable philosophical chapters or discussions in support of halakhic observance;David Hartmanobserves that Maimonides clearly expressed "the traditional support for a philosophical understanding of God both in the Aggadah of Talmud and in the behavior of the hasid [the pious Jew]."Maimonidean thought continues to influence traditionally observant Jews.

The most rigorous medieval critique of Maimonides isHasdai Crescas'Or Adonai.Crescas bucked the eclectic trend, by demolishing the certainty of the Aristotelian world-view, not only in religious matters but also in the most basic areas of medieval science (such as physics and geometry). Crescas' critique provoked a number of 15th-century scholars to write defenses of Maimonides.

Because of his path-finding synthesis of Aristotle and Biblical faith, Maimonides had an influence on Christian theologianThomas Aquinaswho refers to Maimonides in several of his works, including theCommentary on the Sentences.

Maimonides' combined abilities in the fields of theology, philosophy and medicine make his work attractive today as a source during discussions of evolving norms in these fields, particularly medicine. An example is the modern citation of his method of determining death of the body in the controversy regarding declaration of death to permitorgan donationfortransplantation.

Maimonides and the Modernists

Plaque of Maimonides at Rambam Medical Center,Haifa

Maimonides remains one of the most widely debated Jewish thinkers among modern scholars. He has been adopted as a symbol and an intellectual hero by almost all major movements in modern Judaism, and has proven important to philosophers such asLeo Strauss;and his views on the importance ofhumilityhave been taken up by modernhumanistphilosophers. In academia, particularly within the area of Jewish Studies, the teaching of Maimonides has been dominated by traditional scholars, generally Orthodox, who place a very strong emphasis on Maimonides as a rationalist; one result is that certain sides of Maimonides' thought, including his opposition toanthropocentrism,have been obviated.There are movements in some postmodern circles to claim Maimonides for other purposes, as within the discourse ofecotheology.Maimonides' reconciliation of the philosophical and the traditional has given his legacy an extremely diverse and dynamic quality.

Tributes and memorials

Maimonides used to be on the1 ILS banknote.

Maimonides has been memorialized in numerous ways. For example, one of the Learning Communities at theTufts University School of Medicinebears his name. There is alsoMaimonides SchoolinBrookline, Massachusetts,Maimonides Academy SchoolinLos Angeles, California,Lycée Maïmonidein Casablanca, the Brauser Maimonides Academy inHollywood, Florida,andMaimonides Medical CenterinBrooklyn,New York.Beit Harambam Congregation,a Sephardi synagogue inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, is named after him.

Issued from 8 May 1986 to 1995,the Series A of theIsraeli New Shekelfeatured an illustration of Maimonides on the obverse and the place of his burial inTiberiason the reverse on its 1-shekel bill.

In 2004, conferences were held atYale University,Florida International University,Penn State,andRambam HospitalinHaifa,Israel, which is named after him. To commemorate the 800th anniversary of his death,Harvard Universityissued a memorial volume.In 1953, the Israel Postal Authority issued apostage stampof Maimonides, pictured.

In March 2008, during theEuromedConference of Ministers of Tourism, The Tourism Ministries of Israel, Morocco and Spain agreed to work together on a joint project that will trace the footsteps of the Rambam and thus boost religious tourism in the cities of Córdoba, Fez andTiberias.

Between December 2018 and January 2019 theIsrael Museumheld a special exhibit dedicated to the writings of Maimonides.

Burial place

Burial marker at the tomb of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon in Tiberias.

He is buried in HaRambam compound inTiberias.Other notable rabbis also buried in HaRambam compound / complex are:

• Shelah HaKadosh
• Eliezer ben Hurcanus
• Yohanan ben Zakkai
• Joshua ben Hananiah

See also

• Averroes
• Iggeret Teman(Epistle to Yemen)
• Maimonides Foundation
• Mimouna

Bibliography

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain:Joseph Jacobs,Isaac Broydé(1901–1906)."Moses Ben Maimon".InSinger I,et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia.The Executive Committee of the Editorial Board, andJacob Zallel Lauterbach.New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
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• Bos G (2002).Maimonides. On Asthma (vol.1, vol.2).Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press.
• Bos G (2007).Maimonides. Medical Aphorisms Treatise 1–5 (6–9, 10–15, 16–21, 22–25).Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press.
• Davidson HA (2005).Moses Maimonides: The Man and his Works.Oxford University Press.
• Feldman RY (2008).Shemonah Perakim: The Eight Chapters of the Rambam.Targum Press.
• Fox M (1990).Interpreting Maimonides.Univ. of Chicago Press.
• Guttman J(1964). David Silverman (ed.).Philosophies of Judaism.Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America.
• Halbertal M(2013).Maimonides: Life and Thought.Princeton University Press.ISBN978-0-691-15851-8.Archivedfrom the original on 5 September 2015.Retrieved23 June2015.
• Hart Green K (2013).Leo Strauss on Maimonides: The Complete Writings.Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Hartman D(1976).Maimonides: Torah and Philosophic Quest.Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America.ISBN978-0-8276-0083-6.
• Heschel AJ(1982).Maimonides: The Life and Times of a Medieval Jewish Thinker.New York: Farrar Straus.
• Husik I(2002) [1941].A History of Jewish Philosophy.Dover Publications, Inc.Originally published by the Jewish Publication of America, Philadelphia.
• Kaplan A(1994). "Maimonides Principles: The Fundamentals of Jewish Faith".The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology.I.
• Kellner M (1986).Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought.London: Oxford University press.ISBN978-0-19-710044-8.
• Kohler GY (2012). "Reading Maimonides' Philosophy in 19th Century Germany".Amsterdam Studies in Jewish Philosophy.15.
• Kraemer JL (2008).Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds.Doubleday.
• Leaman DH, Leaman F, Leaman O (2003).History of Jewish Philosophy(Second ed.). London and New York: Routledge.See especially chapters 10 through 15.
• Maimonides(1963). Suessmann Muntner (ed.).Moshe Ben Maimon (Maimonides) Medical Works(in Hebrew). Translated by Moshe Ibn Tibbon. Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.OCLC729184001.
• Maimonides(1967).Mishnah,with Maimonides' Commentary(in Hebrew). Vol. 3. Translated byYosef Qafih.Jerusalem:Mossad Harav Kook.OCLC741081810.
• Rosner F(1984–1994).Maimonides' Medical Writings.Vol. 7 Vols. Maimonides Research Institute.(Volume 5 translated by Uriel Barzel; foreword by Fred Rosner.)
• Seidenberg D (2005)."Maimonides – His Thought Related to Ecology".The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2013.Retrieved11 December2013.
• Shapiro MB (1993). "Maimonides Thirteen Principles: The Last Word in Jewish Theology?".The Torah U-Maddah Journal.4.
• Shapiro MB (2008).Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters.Scranton (PA): University of Scranton Press.
• Sirat C(1985).A History of Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.See chapters 5 through 8.
• Strauss L(1974). Shlomo Pines (ed.).How to Begin to Study the Guide: The Guide of the Perplexed – Maimonides(in Arabic). Vol. 1. University of Chicago Press.
• Strauss L(1988).Persecution and the Art of Writing.University of Chicago Press.ISBN978-0-226-77711-5.reprint
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Further reading

• Maimonides: Abū ʿImrān Mūsā [Moses] ibn ʿUbayd Allāh [Maymūn] al‐Qurṭubīwww.islamsci.mcgill.caArchived27 August 2011 at theWayback Machine
• "History of Medicine".AIME.Archived fromthe originalon 24 May 2013.
• S. R. Simon (1999). "Moses Maimonides: medieval physician and scholar".Arch Intern Med.159(16): 1841–5.doi:10.1001/archinte.159.16.1841.PMID10493314.
• Athar Yawar Email Address (2008)."Maimonides's medicine".The Lancet.371(9615): 804.doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60365-7.S2CID54415482.
• "Moses Maimonides | biography – Jewish philosopher, scholar, and physician".Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2015.Retrieved4 June2015.

External links

About Maimonides

• Maimonides entryin theJewish Encyclopedia(1906)
• Maimonides entry in the Encyclopædia Britannica
• Maimonides entryin theEncyclopaedia Judaica,2nd edition (2007)
• Seeskin K."Maimonides".InZalta EN(ed.).Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• "Maimonides entry in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy"
• Video lecture on MaimonidesbyDr. Henry Abramson
• Maimonides, a biography— book by David Yellin and Israel Abrahams
• Maimonides as a Philosopher
• The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides
• "The Moses of Cairo,"Article fromPolicy Review
• Rambam and the Earth: Maimonides as a Proto-Ecological Thinker– reprint on neohasid.org from The Encyclopedia of Religion and Ecology
• Anti-Maimonidean DemonsArchived20 July 2008 at theWayback Machineby Jose Faur, describing the controversy surrounding Maimonides' works
• David Yellin and Israel Abrahams,Maimonides(1903) (full text of a biography)
• Y. Tzvi Langermann (2007)."Maimonides: Abū ʿImrān Mūsā [Moses] ibn ʿUbayd Allāh [Maymūn] al-Qurṭubī".In Thomas Hockey, et al. (eds.).The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers.New York: Springer. pp. 726–7.ISBN978-0-387-31022-0.(PDF version)
• Maimonides atintellectualencounters.orgArchived20 July 2021 at theWayback Machine
• Kriesel H (2015).Judaism as Philosophy: Studies in Maimonides and the Medieval Jewish Philosophers of Provence.Boston:Academic Studies Press.doi:10.2307/j.ctt21h4xpc.ISBN978-1-61811-789-2.JSTORj.ctt21h4xpc.
• Friedberg A (2013).Crafting the 613 Commandments: Maimonides on the Enumeration, Classification, and Formulation of the Scriptural Commandments.Boston:Academic Studies Press.doi:10.2307/j.ctt21h4wf8.ISBN978-1-61811-848-6.JSTORj.ctt21h4wf8.
• The Guide: An Explanatory Commentary on Each Chapter of Maimonides' Guide of The Perplexedby Scott Michael Alexander (covers all of Book I, currently)

Maimonides' works

• SteinbergThe Rambam Mishneh Torah CodexonAmazon
• SteinbergThe Rambam ChumashonAmazon
• Complete Mishneh Torah online, halakhic work of Maimonides
• Sefer Hamitzvot, English translation
• Oral Readings of Mishne TorahArchived13 October 2007 at theWayback Machine— Free listening and Download, site also had classes in Maimonides'Iggereth Teiman
• Maimonides 13 PrinciplesArchived31 October 2016 at theWayback Machine
• Intellectual Encounters – Main Thinkers – Moses Maimonides,inintellectualencounters.org
• Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Autograph DraftArchived29 January 2013 at theWayback Machine,Egypt,c.1180
• British Library – Autograph responsum of Moses Maimonides, pre-eminent Jewish polymath and spiritual leader,Ilana Tahan
• Digitized works by Maimonidesat theLeo Baeck Institute

Texts by Maimonides

• Siddur Mesorath Moshe,a prayerbook based on the early Jewish liturgy as found in Maimonides' Mishne Tora
• Rambam's introduction to the Mishneh Torah (English translationArchived26 March 2023 at theWayback Machine)
• Rambam's introduction to the Commentary on the Mishnah (Hebrew-language full text)
• The Guide For the Perplexed by Moses Maimonides translated into English by Michael Friedländer
• Writings of Maimonides; manuscripts and early print editions. Jewish National and University Library
• Facsimile edition of Moreh Nevukhim/The Guide for the Perplexed (illuminated Hebrew manuscript, Barcelona, 1347–48). The Royal Library, CopenhagenArchived11 August 2021 at theWayback Machine
• University of Cambridge Library collectionArchived29 January 2010 at theWayback Machineof Judeo-Arabic letters and manuscripts written by or to Maimonides. It includes the last letter his brother David sent him before drowning at sea.
• A. Ashur,A newly discovered medical recipe written by MaimonidesArchived3 November 2018 at theWayback Machine
• M.A Friedman and A. Ashur,A newly-discovered autograph responsum of MaimonidesArchived1 November 2018 at theWayback Machine
• Works by MaimonidesatPost-Reformation Digital Library
• Works by MaimonidesatLibriVox(public domain audiobooks)