Questions tagged [rambam]

The Rambam, or Maimonides, was a famous 12th century Rabbi, philosopher, and physician. He wrote the Mishneh Torah and the Moreh Nevuchim (Guide to the Perplexed).

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Rambam on ascribing Emotions to G-d

The 3rd principle of faith of Maimonides states: "ג] אֲנִי מַאֲמִין בֶּאֱמוּנָה שְׁלֵמָה, שֶׁהַבּורֵא יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמו אֵינו גוּף, וְלא יַשּיגוּהוּ מַשּיגֵי הַגּוּף, וְאֵין לו שׁוּם דִּמְיון ...
6 votes
1 answer
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Why is a person who refuses to forgive another considered a sinner?

The Rambam Hilchos Teshuvah 2:9 writes about what to do when asking for forgiveness from a person who won't grant it: אֲפִלּוּ לֹא הִקְנִיט אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ אֶלָּא בִּדְבָרִים צָרִיךְ לְפַיְּסוֹ ...
3 votes
1 answer
108 views

Rambam's decision to merge Shofar with Succah and Lulav?

When subdividing his 14 books, Rambam decided to merge Hilchos Shofar with Succah and Lulav, allocating the first 3 chapters to the first and the last 5 to the laters (see here) with no seeming ...
-2 votes
1 answer
111 views

Contesting the line between Torah and secular knowledge [closed]

Isn't it the case that the Rambam, for one, thought that astronomy, medicine, mathematics, for examples, were a part of Torah knowledge? At least the line for him is not simple and clear cut (eg see ...
4 votes
3 answers
560 views

Stars are living creatures?

the Rambam in yesodei torah says that stars are creatures with intellect. how do we reconcile this with modern science which says that they are merely inanimate balls of hydrogen and helium gas.
13 votes
1 answer
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Where did the "a cat will always be a cat" story about the Rambam come from?

I've seen and heard a story about the Rambam told multiple times along the lines of this particularly concise retelling: There is a beautiful story of a disagreement that Maimonides had with a ...
8 votes
2 answers
713 views

What is the source for Rambam's "physician's oath"?

A physician friend pointed out to me the Rambam's "physician's oath" (it doesn't look like an oath per se, but that's what it's called), which begins (in English): The eternal providence has ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Wheat brought from the Diaspora to Israel: biblical or rabbinic challah-obligation?

Challah 2:1: פֵּרוֹת חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ לָאָרֶץ, חַיָּבִים בַּחַלָּה.‏ Produce [grown] outside the land [of Israel] that came into the land is subject to challah. What is the ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Weapon used to punish sleeping mikdash guards

The very start of mishnayos maseches Midos mentions that the l'viyim guarded the bes hamikdash in various locations, and that, if the captain of the guards caught a guard asleep on the job, he'd hit ...
13 votes
1 answer
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Is there positive proof that the Rambam did not accept Kabbalah?

I have heard many times that the Rambam's omission of mystical ideas is proof, or evidence, of his rejection thereof. However, if one accepts the authenticity of Kabbalah as being a legitimate ...
5 votes
1 answer
225 views

Why didn't the Jews appoint a king before rebuilding the temple?

In the times of Ezra and Nechemia the temple was rebuilt. Rambam codifies that the mitzvah to appoint a king comes before the mitzvah to build the temple. If that is the case why didn't the Jews ...
5 votes
3 answers
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Rambam's view of worship in order to attain olam haba

Rambam writes in Hilchos Teshuva 8:3 referring to Olam Haba: וזהו השכר שאין שכר למעלה ממנו והטובה שאין אחריה טובה והיא שהתאוו לה כל הנביאים This is the reward above which there is no higher ...
3 votes
4 answers
537 views

What is the status of someone who denies one of the Rambam's 13 Principles?

i.e. are they considered an apikores etc? Or that they just hold an incorrect belief. Previously I had assumed their status was dependent on the principle they denied, so a person who denied the first ...
5 votes
1 answer
139 views

What is the mitzvah of tzedakah dependent on?

We learn in the Rambam commentary on Avos (3:19) that it is preferable to give a little bit of tzedakah to many people than a few large amounts to a few people. When does one fulfil the mitzvah of ...
6 votes
1 answer
298 views

How come the Rambam forbids picking up money found in the street?

I always understood that, when one sees a banknote in the street, one is allowed to keep it (and others wrote this way, e.g., R Belsky here and businesshalacha there #17). Then I saw the Rambam ...
8 votes
2 answers
354 views

What financial arrangement did Rambam have with his jeweler brother?

I was taught in yeshiva that as a young man, Rambam just studied Torah and was supported by his brother, who was a jewel merchant. Then his brother died at sea, so Rambam became a physician. Some ...
3 votes
1 answer
441 views

Moshe, Ramba"m and humility

Numbers 12:3 informs us that “the man Moses was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth.” This article cites Rambam's (Maimonides) view that humility is an exception to Rambam's ...
3 votes
1 answer
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Rav Yosef Caro's lack of Sefer HaMitzvos

A friend of mine once claimed that Rav Yosef Caro didn't have access to Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvos. It's apparently evident from comments he makes in Beis Yosef and Kessef Mishnah. I was hoping to see ...
3 votes
3 answers
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What is Rambam's source that the Sages issued a command to not teach your daughter Torah?

The Mishnah in Sotah (3:4) states: אם יש לה זכות היתה תולה לה יש זכות תולה שנה אחת יש זכות תולה ב' שנים יש זכות תולה ג' שנים מכאן אומר בן עזאי חייב אדם ללמד את בתו תורה שאם תשתה תדע שהזכות תולה לה ר&...
2 votes
2 answers
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Is Studying String Theory Permitted According To The Rambam?

Would the Rambam be fine with String Theory, being that String Theory involves what happened before the world was created (the big bang) and beyond our universe?
8 votes
3 answers
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Are the works of Maimonides treated as divinely inspired?

How are the writings of Moses Maimonides typically "seen" by Jews? Are his works considered to be directly inspired by God (such as the Tanakh) and therefore infallible, or are they considered to be "...
1 vote
1 answer
159 views

Why one's daughter is not mentioned in Arayos in the Torah?

Gemmorah Yevomos 2b: אלא בתו כיון דאתיא מדרשא חביבא ליה With regard to his daughter, since this prohibition is actually derived from a homiletical interpretation and is not explicitly stated in the ...
3 votes
0 answers
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How does Rambam decide what defines a Mitzvah?

Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos lists 14 rules that guided him in writing his Sefer Hamitzvos. Practically all of them focus on what does not consitute a Mitzvah Deoraytah: השרש הראשון שאין ראוי למנות בכלל ...
8 votes
1 answer
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Why did Rambam order Mishnah Torah in this particular structure?

The 14 books and contained chapters and Halachos of the Rambam's Mishneh Torah don't seem to have any particular order based on the Mitzvos, Mishnah or Gemara. Why did the Rambam order his books and ...
4 votes
1 answer
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How does Rambam understand Arachin 8a?

Arachin 8a teaches the rules of what happens when a woman has a flow of blood and is unsure if she is in her days of niddah (days 1 - 7) or days of zivah (days 11 - 18). For simplicity, let’s focus ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Loosely holding utensils in a mikve - halacha development

The Rambam (Hilchot Mikvaot 2:11) does not allow loosely holding a utensil in a mikve When one holds another person or an implement and immerses them, they remain impure. This applies even if he ...
2 votes
0 answers
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Counting parts of a Mitzvah as a Mitzvah (Rambam's 12th principle)

Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos lays [his own] principles of what counts as a Mitzvah and what's not. The 12th principle says that: שאין ראוי למנות חלקי המלאכה מהמלאכות שבא הצווי בעשייתם כל חלק וחלק בפני ...
9 votes
2 answers
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Why is the Frankel Rambam divided unusually? Madda-Ahava and Avoda-Korbanot

The printing of Rambam's Mishneh Torah by Hotza'at Shabsi Frankel was a revolutionary achievement. The publishers searched the globe for the earliest and most authoritative manuscripts and attempted ...
2 votes
1 answer
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Do Tosafos and Rambam completely agree regarding "the blessing of the house"?

If a woman chooses to be supported from her dead husband's estate, she can; but if the heirs live in the deceased's home then they can (usually) compel her to do so also, or forfeit her upkeep. The ...
2 votes
2 answers
296 views

What is the original (Judeo-Arabic) of "gates of interpretation are not locked before us" in Moreh Nevuchim?

What is the original phrasing of the "gates of interpretation are not locked before us" (i.e. ולא שערי הפירוש סתומים בפנינו) in Guide to the Perplexed 2:25? That is, what is it in Rambam's Judeo-...
2 votes
0 answers
144 views

PreRishonic sources against the tekhelet half-string

What are the classical (pre-rishonic) sources explicitly or implicitly against the view of the Rambam that the tekheleth string is only half-dyed?
1 vote
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Why did the Rambam leave out Beis Din's obligation to enforce mitzvos

The Gemarra in Kesubos 86a and Chullin 132b teaches the following: במצות עשה כגון שאומרין לו עשה סוכה ואינו עושה לולב ואינו עושה מכין אותו עד שתצא נפשו With regard to positive mitzvot, for ...
7 votes
2 answers
787 views

Vilna Gaon's Criticism of the Rambam

As mentioned in this answer, the Vilna Gaon once criticised the Rambam for having been led astray by his own philosophy. I have seen this statement referenced also in this article on Seforim Blog and ...
3 votes
1 answer
107 views

Why is the halacha according to R. Meir against R. Shimon?

The mishna Keilim 7:4-5 (just :5 in other versions) brings a series of cases in which an item is connected by Rabbinic law (and not by Torah law; see Rambam's commentary) to another item, and in each ...
-2 votes
2 answers
252 views

Messianic Era and Resurrection Era are separate periods or not? [duplicate]

There is an important question. According to Maimonides the Messianic Era and the Resurrection Era are two distinct periods. First, Moshiach comes and completes his work. After that the natural order/...
4 votes
1 answer
234 views

Why does the Rambam begin Hilchos Ishus with what marriage was before Matan Torah?

Why does the Rambam begin Hilchos Ishus with a history lesson of what marriage looked like before Matan Torah? קֹדֶם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה הָיָה אָדָם פּוֹגֵעַ אִשָּׁה בַּשּׁוּק אִם רָצָה הוּא וְהִיא ...
2 votes
3 answers
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Why is "Moses was the greatest of prophets" a principle of faith?

The 6th and 7th of the Rambam's 13 principles of faith (ikkarim) are: God revealed Himself through the prophets Moses was the greatest of prophets Why the 7th as a separate principle? The Rambam ...
4 votes
1 answer
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Why doesn't Rambam mention how many mitzvot are violated by not wearing tzitzit and not having a mezuzah?

In Hilchot Tefillin 4:26 Rambam writes: וכל שאינו מניח תפילין עובר בשמונה עשה שהרי בארבע פרשיות צוה על תפילין של ראש ועל תפילין של יד Whoever does not wear tefillin transgresses eight positive ...
11 votes
2 answers
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Instances in Shas where Tosfos quotes the Rambam?

I'm aware of one instance where Tosfos quotes the Rambam: Menachos 42b- Tosfos dibbur ha'maschil "תפילין יש להן בדיקה" where right at the beginning we see Tosfos write "וכן פי' ה"ר משה בר מיימון". ...
3 votes
1 answer
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Who are the Rabbis that don't meet Rambam's reqs acc. to Raavad?

In Hilchos Teshuva 3.7 Rambam defines Minim (that can't do a full Teshuvah): חֲמִשָּׁה הֵן הַנִּקְרָאִים מִינִים. ...3) וְהָאוֹמֵר שֶׁיֵּשׁ שָׁם רִבּוֹן אֶחָד אֲבָל שֶׁהוּא גּוּף וּבַעַל תְּמוּנָה. ...
0 votes
1 answer
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How come a rape is considered a damage but not a crime in Judaism? [closed]

In our Western (Goyish) culture, rape constitutes a serious criminal offense (up to 15 years inside), that is probably based on a Pshat of Deu 22, 26: וְלַנַּעֲרָה לֹא־תַעֲשֶׂה דָבָר אֵין ...
1 vote
1 answer
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What's the difference between יאכלו נקודים and יתחלקו לעסות (in תרומות פ״ה)?

A few משניות in chapter 5 of מסכת תרומות discuss טמא wheat kernels that got mixed with טהור ones that never became מוכשרים לקבל טומאה. They say that, to avoid making the טהור ones טמא, we do one of ...
5 votes
1 answer
373 views

What is the order of Mitzvot in Rambam's Sefer Hamitzvot?

What is the order of the positive and the negative Mitzvot in Rambam's Sefer Hamitzvot? While some are grouped together, are they all ordered by any logic?
2 votes
0 answers
42 views

Why for Rambam learning and teaching Torah are not two different Mitzvos?

Rambam in Sefer Hamitzvos #11 and in Mishne Torah Hil. Talmud Torah rules that studying and teaching Torah are one Mitzvah: היא שצונו ללמוד תורה וללמדה וזהו הנקרא תלמוד תורה, והוא אמרו ושננתם ...
6 votes
3 answers
857 views

multiple versions for Baruch She'amar

Being that Baruch She'amar fell from the sky (as said in the Baeir Heiteiv Orach Chaim 51:1), how is it that the Rambam (seder tefilos kal hashna) has a different version than what we have in our ...
0 votes
2 answers
235 views

Does the Torah require a Jewish Monarchy

Does the Torah require a Jewish Monarchy? When the people asked Nevi Samuel to appoint a King he strenuously objected to the appointment of a King! (1 Samuel 8:6, 11-18) Maimonides (Hilchos ...
7 votes
3 answers
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What does the Rambam mean when he says that the planets have souls?

Rambam states in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, Chapter 3, Section 9 that each of the planets have a soul, knowledge, and intellect. כל הכוכבים והגלגלים כולן בעלי נפש ודעה והשכל הם והם חיים ועומדים ...
4 votes
2 answers
145 views

Standing For Reading of Decalogue

Poskim are recorded here permitting standing specifically for the Torah reading of the Aseres Hadibros. Are there any poskim who forbid this in accordance with the ruling of the Rambam?
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Why does Rambam count learning from Midos in 613 Mitzvos?

This is a follow-up question to "why-one's-daughter-is-not-mentioned-in-arayos-in-the-torah" (please read before continuing). Both the Gemmorah and Rambam agree that the prohibition of one's ...
4 votes
3 answers
587 views

What does Mishneh Torah mean when it says all books of Prophets and Writings will be anuled in the times of the Messiah?

The Mishneh Torah, "Scroll of Esther and Hanukkah" 2:18 states: All the books of the Prophets and all the Writings will be annulled in the days of the Messiah, apart from Megillat Esther. It will ...

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