"The Great Eagle" soared above the generations of Torah scholars who preceded him. As a young man, Maimonides composed, in the Arabic of the Jews around him, an explanation of the Mishnah * which, translated into Hebrew, is appended today to most copies of the Talmud. Here he explains the Thirteen Principles of Faith in detail. This first of his compositions, the Commentary on the Mishnah was published under the Arabic title Book of Illumination.
Maimonides excelled as a codifier of Torah Law. From the age of thirty-two, he devoted ten years of intensive labor to distilling the legal aspects of the entire Oral Tradition, which includes the entire Talmud and some of the Midrash,* into one encyclopedia-like code — his second major composition. Composed in a simple Hebrew, this fourteen-volume masterpiece, the Mishneh Torah,* is called in English Maimonides' Code.
The codifying task was enormous. While the earliest composition of the Oral Tradition, the Mishnah, is relatively brief and strictly organized, the Talmud is neither. As a commentary on the Mishnah, discussions flow freely from one topic to another without any index. (Later generations would complete cross-references.) To determine just one law, one must often track down every place where it is mentioned in the oral recollections of the Talmud, which is about the size of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Moses Maimonides writes (in his own words) ". . . I studied all the works that preceded me and compiled the resulting decisions . . . in clear language and concise style so that the entire oral law will be systematically arranged for everyone. . . . Young and old will find all the laws accessible so that no one will need to resort to any other book on any matter of Torah law. . . . Therefore I have called this work Mishneh Torah (Second Law to the Torah), for a person should first read the Written Torah and then read this code. From it he will know the entire Oral Tradition without the need of consulting any other book in the interim . . ." (freely translated from the introduction to Maimonides' Code).
Before beginning the monumental task of codifying the material of the Oral Tradition, Maimonides composed the Book of the Commandments. It is a sort of introduction to the Mishneh Torah (Code). Here he enumerates the 613 precepts of the Covenant of Mount Sinai — the 613 Commandments. The sum of 613 commandments is mentioned in the Talmud, but the Talmud does not contain the principles and rules as to which Scriptural laws should be counted and which are considered details of the counted laws. Other Torah scholars before Maimonides and since have proposed different schemes. None of the schemes is "wrong." Many scholars since Maimonides use his scheme as a starting point. Also, many Torah scholars prefer Maimonides' enumeration because it is accompanied by the thoroughly developed Mishneh Torah (Code).
The fourth composition that Maimonides is known for is the Guide for the Perplexed. After finishing his Code, he set out to present the philosophy of Judaism in Arabic. In the Guide, we find Jewish doctrine and practice from a philosophical and mystical view. A Latin rendition of the Guide appeared in Europe shortly after the original became popular among Muslim scholars. The Latin was soon translated into Spanish and Italian.
Modern translations have appeared in most European languages. Friedländer's English edition is generally found in American public libraries.
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Rabbi Moses was born in the city of Cordova (Córdoba), Spain, on a Sabbath (Saturday), the eve of Passover, 14 Nissan * 4895 (March 1135). His father's name was Rabbi Maimon,* and from this comes the late Latin formation Maimon-ides — the son of Maimon.
Rabbi Moses was about thirteen when the city of Cordova fell to the Almohades, fanatical zealots from Morocco, who fought and ruled by the motto, "The Koran or the Sword." Under their rule, no Jew dared openly avow his faith. Rabbi Maimon and his family wandered from city to city, looking for an opportunity to escape persecution. During these wanderings, Rabbi Moses began working on the first of his compositions, his Commentary on the Mishnah.
Sometime shortly before 1168, the family settled in Fostat, Egypt (Old Cairo), where tolerance allowed Jewish life to openly flourish. Rabbi Moses was now the head of his family. Rabbi Maimon had passed away before the family reached Egypt, and the only other son, a younger brother, died in a storm at sea on a business voyage.
Soon after the appearance of his Commentary on the Mishnah, Maimonides was appointed chief rabbi of Cairo and spiritual leader of all Egyptian Jewry. The reader of these pages has probably heard the name of Maimonides in connection with hospitals. This is because Rabbi Moses Maimonides was a practicing physician during these later years of his life in Egypt. He embarked upon composing the Code during this time while occupied as court physician and healer to his own neighbors, establishing for himself a considerable medical reputation that has lasted until today.
Maimonides also corresponded extensively with Jewish communities around the world concerning matters of Torah law, faith, and medicine.
Rabbi Moses Maimonides passed away on 20 Tevet * 4965 (Winter 1204/05) and was buried in the Galilee, Israel, near Tiberias.
Maimonides - my MAHN ih deez
Mishnah - mish NAH, MISH nuh
Midrash - mid RAHSH, MID rahsh
Mishneh Torah - mish NEH toh RAH, MISH neh TOH ruh
Nissan - NIHS ahn
Maimon - MY muhn, my MOHN
Tevet - TAY vet
The Works of Rabbi Moses Maimonides \\ Biography
<< The Guide for the Perplexed — "The Almighty, desiring to lead us to perfection and to improve our state of society, has revealed to us laws which are to regulate our actions. . . . However, we must first form a conception of the existence of the Creator according to our capabilities."
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The Code - the Mishneh Torah —