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Loading... Maimonides - Essential Teachings on Jewish Faith and Ethics: The Book of Knowledge and the Thirteen Principles of Faith - Annotated and Explained (SkyLight Illuminations)by Marc Angel
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The teachings of Judaism's greatest medieval philosopher can be a companion on your own spiritual journey. No Jewish thinker has had a more significant impact on Jewish religious thought than Moses Maimonides (1138-1204). A medieval philosopher whose vision covered an extensive range, he created a method of mediating between revelation and reason that laid the groundwork for a rational, philosophically sophisticated Judaism. He also provided an approach to biblical interpretation and philosophy that remains relevant for people of all faiths who follow a religion based on sacred text and oral interpretation. In this accessible examination of Maimonides's theological and philosophical teachings, Rabbi Marc D. Angel opens up for us Maimonides's views on the nature of God, providence, prophecy, free will, human nature, repentance and more. He explores basic concepts of faith that Maimonides posits must serve as the basis for proper religious life. He also examines Maimonides's insights on reward and punishment, messianic days, the world to come and other tenets of Jewish faith. Now you can experience the wisdom of Maimonides even if you have no previous knowledge of Judaism or Jewish philosophy. SkyLight Illuminations provides insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that reveals why Maimonides's teachings continue to have profound relevance to those seeking an intellectually vibrant understanding of Judaism. No library descriptions found. |
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He includes texts from Maimonides’ Book of Knowledge and from his famous Thirteen Principles of Judaism. He chose these two sources because they give a clear presentation of Maimonides’ teachings on morality, ethics, Torah study, idolatry, and the principles of Judaism. He places Maimonides’ words on the right side of the book, puts numbers where there are ideas he wants to explain, and he explains them on the left side. For example, he quotes Maimonides’ teaching about when Jews should give up their lives for Judaism on the right and gives historical examples on the left. Similarly, he mentions Maimonides view that prophets must be philosophers on the right and explains on the left that people do not have to accept his view and gives his opinion why. Also, he quotes Maimonides that righteous people do more than what the law requires and deviate from the middle path on the right and describes the higher standard on the left. His explanations are clear and he frequently refers to other books that help clarify and supplement Maimonides’ thoughts, including other books that Maimonides composed.
Rabbi Angel starts his book with a thirty page introduction that introduces Maimonides, his history, and writings to the reader. He tells readers that Maimonides was both a religious man and a philosopher; contrary to some people who think he was only one or the other. He describes the Book of Knowledge and the Thirteen Principles. He points out that Maimonides insisted that religion must have a sound intellectual foundation. “His approach (to religion) allows a person (of every religion) to be religious without turning off his or her brain.” He tells readers that Maimonides never wrote, as most people think, that Jews must believe in God. The translators misunderstood what he wrote. He said that people should study and understand as well as they could about God. Maimonides emphasized knowledge not belief.
Rabbi Angel tells us that Maimonides felt strongly that there is no distinction between Jews and other human beings; humans are humans. The Torah emphasizes this message when it states 36 times that we should love the stranger. Non-Jews know things Jews don’t know and everyone should learn from everyone else; the truth is the truth no matter what its source. One cannot be a true Torah scholar without deriving wisdom from all sources. Non-Jews have the identical rights to the world to come.
The book is filled with Rabbi Angel’s insightful interpretation of Maimonides and this great sage’s important teachings, such as the following: Maimonides believed in miracles, “but God does so very rarely.” People should not be ascetic, such as fasting when not required to do so. Contrary to the thinking of some ultra-Orthodox, Maimonides stressed that Torah scholars should work and not depend on the charity of others.
In summary, readers will gain much by reading this book because Maimonides was the greatest sage since the biblical Moses and Rabbi Angel gives us a good explanation of his views. ( )