Category Archives: Personal Development

Rambam, In His Own Words

Rambam Monument in Cordoba, Spain

This Friday, the 20th of Tevet, is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1138-1204), better known as the “Rambam”, or “Maimonides”. Rambam is one of the most fascinating figures in Jewish history, and also one of the most mysterious, multi-faceted, and complex. His impact on the course of Judaism cannot be overstated. Eight hundred years later, scholars, historians, and rabbis continue to debate his true views, positions, and beliefs. Rabbi Dr. Leon Stitskin (1911-1978), philosophy professor at Yeshiva University, described the Rambam as one who “reveals the truth by stating it, and hides it by contradicting it.” (Letters of Maimonides, pg. 18) More recently, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Adler (in his Al Kanfei Nesharim) noted a whopping 749 places where the Rambam’s early work, his Commentary on the Mishnah, appears to contradict his later works! And when it comes to the Rambam’s Moreh Nevukhim, the “Guide for the Perplexed”, some rabbis were so uncomfortable with it they denied that the Rambam ever wrote it! Who exactly was the Rambam, and what did he truly believe and teach?

Physician & Philosopher

Rambam was born in Cordoba, Spain to Rabbi Maimon, a student of Rabbi Yosef ibn Migash, who was a student of the famous Rif, Rabbi Isaac Alfasi (1013-1103). When he was around 10 years old, the extremist Almohads conquered Cordoba and forced all non-Muslims to convert, die, or flee. The Rambam’s family fled to North Africa. Settling in Morocco, the Rambam became a rabbi, but also studied at the University of Fez to become a physician. Meanwhile, he was deeply immersed in Greek philosophy, and came to embrace the school of Aristotle above the others. He is well-known for his work in integrating Aristotelian philosophy with Torah and Judaism. This set the stage for others around the world to do the same, most notably Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), a Catholic theologian and saint who integrated Aristotle with Catholicism, and cited Maimonides in his works. The Rambam believed that Aristotle was the greatest Gentile of all time, and wrote in his letter to Shmuel ibn Tibbon: Continue reading →

Ten Rectifications for Judaism

As we prepare to usher in another new year, we pray fervently that it will be the one in which we finally see the completion of the Geulah, the great redemption of our people, followed by the transformation of the entire world into a more wholesome, peaceful, and divine place. As we listen to the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, we hope it will be the great shofar that will herald the coming of Mashiach (Isaiah 27:13). We hope that it will be the final Judgement Day, and that we will all be inscribed in the Book of Life for good. But as we yearn for these things, it is vital to ask: what are we doing practically to bring about that reality? There are so many issues and threats confronting us both externally and internally. And we know that, at the end of day, all of these things come not from various political opponents, or antisemites, or military powers, or terrorists, or propagandists—but straight from Hashem.

God tells us over and over again in the Torah that if we follow his mitzvot properly then we will be safe, blessed, and prosperous. It’s only when we don’t that all the suffering and travails come upon us. So, as a nation, we are obviously doing something wrong here. Yes, as we all know, we are lacking unity. There is a lot of disagreement and infighting, and many within the house of Israel remain secular and disconnected. But we rarely ask why this is the case, and what we can actually do to fix it. It’s like we’ve helplessly accepted the status quo, as if there’s nothing we can do about it. When our Sages list all the things wrong with the world before Mashiach comes (Sotah 49b), they conclude by saying “there is no one to rely on except our Father in Heaven”. Some of our rabbis understood this concluding statement as being part of the list of things wrong with the world, ie. that people have given up and say there is nothing we can do but wait for Hashem!

The truth is that God is waiting for us. This was precisely the case at the Splitting of the Sea, when Moses prayed fervently to Hashem and Hashem replied: ma titzak alai?! “Why are you calling out to Me?!” (Exodus 14:15) It was Nachshon who understood what had to be done, and when everyone else stood back passively; crying, stressing, waiting; he decided to dive into the water. Only then did the Sea split. Today we are, yet again, at another splitting of the sea moment, right at the finish line of Geulah, and we all need to be Nachshon right now. So, what can we do? How do we actually solve the lack of unity? How do we address the widespread secularism and materialism? How do we bring people back to Hashem, back to Torah and mitzvot, to a “Geulah mindset”? How do we shift away from passively waiting to actively doing? In short, how do we bring Mashiach? Continue reading →