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Transcript

 

By the 12th century, after a period of relative harmony under Muslim rule, the Jews of Spain once again faced terrible persecution.

Nevertheless, Sephardic Jews produced one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time. Today, he is almost universally revered, but in his time, great controversy surrounded the one who would come to be known as Rambam.

Jewish Life Under Muslim Rule

When Muslim rule arrived in Spain in 755, the Jews welcomed liberation from a hostile Christian society. While far from perfect, life under Islam as dhimmi (second-class citizens) was generally better than it had been under Christian rule.

By the 12th century, Jews had joined the greater society as doctors, financiers, diplomats, and poets. In their own communities, Jewish writings and scholarship flourished.

Rambam’s Youth

In 1138, amidst this flourishing, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon — commonly known as Maimonides or by the acronym Rambam — was born. He was raised in a prosperous, educated Jewish family.

At an early age, Rambam was taught by Torah masters and soared through his studies. He even began to teach others and formed a strong bond with his first student: his younger brother, David.

Sadly, in 1148, when Rambam was 10 years old, everything changed.

The Almohad and Misfortune

The Almohad, a North African Muslim empire, conquered Córdoba, forcing Jewish families to choose conversion, expulsion, or death.

So, his family moved several times — first around Southern Spain, then to Morocco when he was 24, until they eventually landed in Egypt in 1168.

For a brief period, life seemed to settle down — until Rambam’s brother David, on a routine expedition to India in search of wealth, died, lost at sea. When Rambam heard the news, he became physically ill and could not leave his bed for an entire year. In a letter, he wrote:

“The greatest misfortune that has befallen me during my entire life, worse than anything else, was the demise of the saint. And how should I console myself? He grew up on my knees, he was my brother, he was my student.”

As if grief wasn’t enough, Rambam and his family had come to rely heavily on his younger brother for financial support, and they now had no income.

Though Rambam’s rabbinical scholarship had grown, the Rabbinate of the time was considered a public service, and Rambam did not wish to receive financial support from the community.

Rambam’s Contributions to Medical Science

So, Rambam did what any reasonable Jew would do — he became a doctor.

As a practicing physician, Rambam wrote medical theories, chronicling contemporary conditions like asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, and pneumonia.

He even stated the importance of eating in moderation, living an active lifestyle, and balancing mental health.

Rambam’s Contributions to Religion

But it was Rambam’s contributions to religion that were even more remarkable. Following in the footsteps of Saadia Gaon, Rambam was a voracious reader whose unique mind plumbed the depths of Jewish theology, alongside Islamic and Greek philosophy.

The Mishneh Torah

Rambam’s ground-breaking work, the Mishneh Torah, was an all-inclusive guide to the complex system of Jewish law.

Even now, 800 years later, Rambam’s reorganization of the Talmud’s 2,711 dense pages of Jewish thought into 14 thematically arranged sections in the Mishneh Torah is still unmatched in breadth and lucidity.

Criticisms of the Mishneh Torah

But the Mishneh Torah didn’t persuade everyone to follow Rambam’s teachings.

Several critics complained that he didn’t cite his sources, some were upset that Rambam reordered topics in the Talmud, and others were concerned over Rambam’s lack of transparency in arriving at his final conclusions.

In a letter to his student Rabbi Yoseph ben HaRav Yehudah, he wrote of his Mishneh Torah:

“In future generations, when jealousy and the lust for power will disappear, all of Israel will subsist on it alone, and will abandon all else besides it without a doubt.”

Rambam often complained of his critics, how they robbed him of his peace and the ability to devote himself to his Torah study.

Criticisms of The Guide for the Perplexed

Another of Rambam’s theological works, The Guide for the Perplexed, reconciled Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy.

It was even banned in some Rabbinic circles. Some dissenters felt that Rambam’s work more closely resembled the words of Aristotle than those of Moses.

Rambam’s Other Works

But none of the criticism deterred Rambam from writing seven Judaic and philosophical works, over a dozen medical works, and his Treaties on Logic. Some scholars claim that Rambam’s incessant work ethic finally led to his untimely death in 1204 at the age of 66.

Rambam’s Religious and Medical Legacy

Today, tens of thousands of students still study Rambam’s work every day, and you can see his legacy in modern medicine.

Ideas surrounding current sanitation standards, contemporary research methods, and present-day hospital planning can all be found in Rambam’s teachings.

How Did Rambam Manage It All?

One answer may be his belief that we should learn as much as we possibly can —and then, keep learning. He wrote in The Guide for the Perplexed:

“Your purpose should always be to know the whole that was intended to be known.”

Rambam’s tombstone still stands in the Holy Land today and is inscribed with this message:

“From Moses to Moses, there never rose another like Moses.”

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Questions

 

Merchant, Trader. Muslim rule of AL-Andalus Spain had always been one of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. True or false?

Jeweler. Only Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe have achieved greatness and success. Is this right or wrong?

Craftsman, Artisan. Was life for Jews in Medieval Europe better in Christian or Muslim societies?

Artist, Painter, Sculptor. Did Maimonides or Rambam come from a poor, working class, or lower-middle class family? Did he spend most of his time playing or working to help support his family?

Poet, Writer. Maimonides and his family migrate to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and then New York City in the US. Is this correct or incorrect? Did he and his family leave Spain due to a poor economy and unemployment?

Banker, Financier. Was Rambam’s greatest tragedy rejection to teach and study at a Yeshiva?

Scientist. Maimonides only studied the Jewish Tanakh, Torah, Talmud, Midrash and Zohar. Do you agree?

Physician. Was he a specialist or polymath?

Astronomer. Did his contemporaries admire, respect and praise Rambam?
 
 
 
Medicine, Apothecary. Are you familiar with great philosophers, scholars, thinkers, scientists, artists, architects, mathematicians and other polymaths?

Judge, Lawyer. Who are some of your favorite geniuses?

Architecture, Construction. Who are some very influential people?

Captain, Sailor. What might happen in the future?

Scholar, Philosopher, Thinker. What could or should people, schools, governments, the media do?