64. Maimonides (Jewish History Lab)

Brief overview of the life, works, controversy and legacy of Maimonides.
Suggested reading:
Moshe Halbertal, Maimonides: Life and Thought press.princeton.edu/books/har...
Henry Abramson: Maimonides on Teshuvah henryabramson.com/maimonides-...
Interested in studying more deeply with our Membership perks?
Join our learning community of students, researchers and colleagues: / @henryabramsonphd

[@susanadiasjohnson457]

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Brilliantly clear and inspiring. Thank you dear Rabbi for this amazing lesson.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Glad you liked it!

[@lindseyadams2841]

So excited about this one! Have always been highly interested in learning as much detail as possible about the rambam, of blessed memory!

[@MrJlin1982]

Great vlog as always, regarts from a christian who studies the jewish roots of christianity and keeping Shabbat

[@janlovell809]

Listen to you all the time and enjoy your lectures a great deal. As a older women in a evangelical church I refuse payment when filling the need to care for little ones. It is a privilege to help out am able. Other ladies in my congregation feel the same way. That ties in with the Sephardic Rabbis practice with payment.

[@danzo1711]

Maimonides was truly one the greatest Jewish thinkers. He didn't have the most authentic understanding of Judaism, but his philosophy is very profound.

[@moraemepasikhani9153]

My research paper on Maimonides (undergraduate course Makers of Hispanic Catholic History) was my true introduction to Jewish history.

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Must have been a great introduction!

[@kicksterama]

Wonderful! My profound thanks to you!

[@HenryAbramsonPhD]

Thank you too!

[@eymerichinquisitore9022]

One of my favorite Aristotelians

[@Dovid2000]

Excellent overview. Always a pleasure to listen to your lectures! Rabbi Yosef Qafih z"l wrote: "In all the subjects of the Torah, Yemenite Jews customarily base their rule of practice (halakhah) on Maimonides' teachings, and will instruct in accordance with his view, whether in lenient rulings or in strict rulings, even where most other halakhic authorities disagree. Even so, some ancient customs remained with the Yemenite Jews, especially in those matters committed unto the masses and to the general public, which are still adhered to by them from an ancient period, and which they did not change even though Maimonides rules otherwise."

[@zafirjoe18]

It is said Rabbeinu Yona wrote Sharei Teshuva for the reason that he was somewhat complicit in the opposition of Rambam that led to the burning of his books.

[@Radio_Mango]

Gracias/Toda Raba Professor Abramson

[@chodeshadar18]

Rambam sounds like he was the Lubavitcher Rebbe of his day!

[@menachemsalomon]

Speaking of Maimonides, his lack of footnotes and sources, and the commentaries, which try to supply that lack, here are my instructions on writing a _Shulchan Aruch:_ First, understand the Rambam well enough to write a commentary on it - the _Kesef Mishne._ Then, understand the other great codifier, the _Tur,_ well enough to write a thorough elucidation - the _Bris Yosef._ (It helps if you've also written a commentary on the Zohar and other kabalistic works.) After all that preparation, you may be ready to write a _Shulchan Aruch._ But you still have to race some fellow half your age... (I speak, of course, of _Maran_ Rabbi Yosef Karo and Rabbi Moshe Isserel's.)

[@BlVCK_ANGEL94]

Ohhhh yeaaahhhhh!!! He made Judaism easy for me👍

[@gentilenation1117]

Wow .. Maimonides was way beyond his time... looks like Rambam could have been a Jewish Messiah, a healer, and a spiritual intellectual. He even put his own writings instead of a scribe, but again it came down to another rejection.

[@system171]

ו"ו Wow

[@abdhaigardez5680]

Dear Abramson! Ihope U make avidio about Sadosi jewish family. In Afghanistan (1747) we had a King called Ahmad Shah sadosi.all his sons has None muslim names. By attacking 7 times on Indian Mughals he helped Briten to accupy India.

[@fjordhellas4077]

Thank you for such a fascinating presentation! Maimonides who lived in Muslim and Arabic Spain and then Morocco saved the ‘disappearing’ Hebrew language thanks to Arabic and the use of Arabic grammar and rules since Hebrew was totally lost especially in Europe and their disastrous hatred toward our religion and culture. The Arab and Muslim world treated us as part of them not like the Romans, the Slavs, the French and the Germans who were, sadly, the authors of one pogrom after the other. Zionism has been disastrous to our true values and religion! It doesn’t represent me! For those of us specialized in ancient history, we owe the Arabic and Muslim world our Sciences, Math and Modern Medicine, yes Modern Medicine and they taught us so much about Prevention and diseases such as : Ibn- Haytham, Ibn- Sina, Ibn Kaldoun ( apologies for misspelling their names) and Ibn Kindi who saved and translated the Greeks (Aristotle, Plato…) that the Roman mobs were bent on burning . Today, I’m reading the brilliant Israeli New Historians : Shlomo Sand who wrote ‘The Invention of the Land of Israel and Avi Shlaim ‘1948 ‘.