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Summary Points
Students learn about:
The contribution to Judaism of ONE significant person OR school of thought:
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Moses Maimonides
The effect of that person OR school of thought on Judaism
Students learn to:
Explain the contribution of ONE significant person OR school of thought to
the development and expression of Judaism:
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Moses Maimonides
Social and Cultural Background and Influences
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Islamic world - Judaism under threat.
Jews regarded as second class citizens.
Sephardi Jew - educated in science and philosophy as well as Torah.
Time of rediscovery of classical learning - Greek philosophy - Plato and Aristotle.
Strongly religious age.
Message/Teaching
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Commentary on the Mishnah - explained the meaning of each Mishnah in a simple,
systematic and ordered way.
The Commentary on the Mishnah explained the link between learning Torah and
putting it into practice.
Within this Commentary Maimonides formulated the thirteen principles of faith
which is recognised as a creed for Judaism.
Commentary on the Mishnah was written in Arabic - easily accessible to Jews living
in Muslim areas.
Mishneh Torah - code of Jewish law - fourteen books written in Hebrew - in a style
easily read and understood.
The Mishneh Torah, is a comprehensive guide to Jewish law without the need for
study of Talmud.
Does not include debate, discussion, minority opinion etc as found in Talmud.
Many Jews felt it would lead to people no longer studying Talmud.
Mishneh Torah contained - Book of Knowledge - concerning belief in God, idolatry,
repentance and the study of Torah. Other 13 books detail Jewish ritual and civil laws
e.g. blessings, circumcision, holy days, relationships, dietary laws and ethics.
Conclusion of Mishneh Torah deals with interpretation of the notion of messiah
(Mashiah). Maimonides saw coming of messiah as a time of peace and prosperity free
from wars and oppression - free to study Torah in preparation for the life to come.
Guide of the Perplexed (Moreh Nevuchim) - philosophical work attempting to
reconcile the Jewish concept of God with the Aristotelian view of God.
Deals with anthropomorphisms - Maimonides concluded that God should not be
taken literally as described eg. Hand of god.
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Maimonides argued in the Guide for the Perplexed that if taking the bible literally
contravened reason then it should not be taken literally.
In the Guide for the Perplexed Maimonides puts forward the position that religious
belief should be logical and open to intellectual debate.
In the Guide for the Perplexed Maimonides concludes that it is possible to acquire
knowledge of God through the mind.
Studying Torah helped to attain a greater knowledge of God in the philosophical
sense.
However, there is also a limit to knowledge of God that a person could attain.
Third part of Guide of the Perplexed deals with providing reasons for the mitzvot
which may be seen as unreasonable.
Guide - extremely difficult work - written in Arabic - intended for students of
Aristotelian philosophy who were confused by apparent contradictions between
philosophy and the Jewish religion.
Chronology
1138 - Maimonides is born in Cordoba, Spain.
1148 - Almohades invade Spain, and the Maimon family chose to leave Spain as a
consequence of the capture of Cordoba. They embark on an eleven year sojourn
through Southern Spain and Northern Africa.
1158 - Maimonides begins to write the Commentary on the Mishnah.
1166 - Maimon family settles in Alexandria, Egypt.
1166 - Maimonides' father passes away.
1165 - Maimonides finishes the Commentary on the Mishnah.
1167 - Maimonides begins to write the Sefer HaMitzvot and Mishneh Torah.
1171 - Maimonides' brother David drowns in a shipwreck.
1171 - Maimonides decides to settle in Fostad, Egypt.
1177 - Maimonides is appointed as the Chief Rabbi of the Egyptian Jewry.
1177 - Maimonides finishes his 'magnum opus', the Mishneh Torah.
1186 - Maimonides finishes writing the Guide for the Perplexed.
1204 - Maimonides passes away. His final resting place was the holy place of Tiberias.
Students learn about:
The contribution to Judaism of ONE significant person OR school of thought:
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•
Moses Maimonides
The effect of that person OR school of thought on Judaism
Students learn to:
Analyse the impact of this person OR school of thought on Judaism
Influence/Significance
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Maimonides' contribution stands virtually without peer in the Jewish world.
Maimonides' work is acclaimed by all strands of the Jewish tradition.
Maimonides work is highly regarded among the Hasidism because Maimonides was
one of the first to incorporate the mystical teachings of the Kaballah.
Zionists have a high regard for Maimonides because he declared that it is a mitzvah
to take possession of Israel and to live in it.
Orthodox Jews closely study the work of Maimonides in yeshivot all around the
world.
Liberal and Reform Jews have a high regard for the philosophical works of
Maimonides.
Commentary on the Mishnah made Jewish law easily accessible without large
amounts of study of Talmud.
The thirteen principles of faith - Jewish creed is still used and found in most Jewish
prayer books.
Established first code of Jewish law - Mishneh Torah which enabled Jews to know
how to act in a given situation without reference to the Talmud.
Maimonides code was the basis for the 16th century code of law - Skulkhan Aruch
by Joseph Karo, on which modern Rabbis base their legal decisions.
Maimonides made Judaism relevant to Jews living in an Islamic world- ensuring the
continuance of traditional Judaism when it was under threat of being lost to Islam.
He reconciled biblical Judaism with philosophy through his "Guide of the Perplexed".
Showed that faith and reason were compatible and encouraged Jews to base their
faith on reason.
Enabled Judaism to withstand the threat from philosophy by showing that it could
be open to intellectual debate and scrutiny.
Provided leadership to scattered communities of the Jewish Diaspora at a time when
they were being threatened by both Islam and the re-emergence of Greek philosophy.