12th-century Sephardic Jewish rabbi and philosopher
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There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history
There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion
There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
There is a common misconception that the Jewish religion does not believe in an afterlife. While it's true that Judaism is focused on actions, intentions and thoughts in this life, it also believes in an afterlife, and has a variety of points of view about what happens after death. Today's guest, Professor Joseph Stern, will discuss Maimonides' unique understanding of the afterlife, per his recent article, "A Guide to the AfterDeath: Maimonides on olam ha-ba'", Religious Studies (2024), 60, S74–S90 Professor Josef Stern is a renowned scholar of Jewish philosophy and thought, specializing in the works of Moses Maimonides. He is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he has contributed significantly to the study of medieval Jewish philosophy, particularly the intersection of philosophy, theology, and intellectual history. With a deep focus on Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed and its implications for metaphysics, epistemology, and religious thought, Professor Stern has published extensively on themes such as skepticism, intellectual perfection, and the nature of religious language. His work often bridges Jewish thought with broader philosophical traditions, including Aristotelian and Islamic philosophies. Known for his clear, incisive analysis and ability to connect historical ideas to contemporary debates, Professor Stern remains a leading voice in Maimonidean scholarship. His recent studies on concepts like Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) provide fresh insights into Maimonides' revolutionary vision of the afterlife and human perfection. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/van-leer-institute
In 2024, we convened 42 new conversations, taking up some of the great questions of modern Jewish life, questions of war and peace, of Israel's security and Israel on the global stage, and of Jewish survival and flourishing in the diaspora. This year Mosaic's editor and the podcast's host, Jonathan Silver, spoke with military officials, activists, scholars, reporters, rabbis, theologians, institution builders, students, and in one poignant conversation a father grieving for his son who fell in battle defending Israel and the Jewish people. Because 2024 marks 820 years since the death of the great medieval sage Moses Maimonides, the Tikvah Podcast began the year with a four-part introduction to his work and his legacy. This was also a presidential election year in the United States, and as the fall campaign wound down, and in its immediate aftermath, we examined some of the political questions that would determine the future of American policymaking and the role of the Jewish people in American politics. From large, enduring questions to focused, timely ones, each week we've aimed to sustain the great Jewish conversation in depth. Of course, the most significant Jewish story of 2024 was Israel's military operation to defeat its enemies, secure its borders, and protect the millions of citizens threatened by the ring of fire that Iran had constructed around the Jewish state. Israel's military planners and operations have not been without their mistakes and miscalculations this year—no human enterprise is. But one year ago, in December 2023, it did not seem possible that, by December 2024, the IDF would have crippled Hamas and Hizballah and neutralized much of Syria's arsenal, that the Syrian government would have been defeated and replaced, and that Iran's defensive missile shield would be practically destroyed. As of the day of this recording, the Israeli air force is attacking military sites in Yemen. And all of this without the scale of civilian damage and loss of life that one could reasonably have expected in the Israeli homeland. There are still over 100 hostages in Gaza, a number of Americans among them—we do not forget about them for even a minute. But it must be said that the success of Israeli intelligence and the IDF over the course of the last months is historic. That, in one way or another, has been an ongoing focus in our conversations this past year. As 2024 is coming to an end, we're looking back at a number of clips from the past year. These include conversations with the celebrated author Cynthia Ozick, Rabbi J.J. Schacter, the director of UN Watch Hillel Neuer, the former Harvard professor Ruth Wisse, Rabbi Mark Cohn, the political scientist Yechiel Leiter, Rabbi Shlomo Brody, the journalist and intellectual Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, the former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus, and the author and journalist Timothy Carney. As we plan 40 or 50 more conversations in 2025, we hope you'll return to our archive and listen to some of the most fascinating conversations that we've already recorded. In order to help us, please consider supporting our work at the Tikvah podcast, and visit Tikvah.org/support to invest in this program and everything that we do at Tikvah.
Starting nearly a thousand years ago at the Ben Ezra Synagogue of Old Cairo, worn-out books and scrolls were put in the genizah, a storage area for sacred texts. In The Illustrated Cairo Genizah: A Visual Tour of Cairo Genizah Manuscripts at Cambridge Univertity Library (Gorgias Press, 2024), Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee tell the story of the genizah and show the journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research, showcasing over 300 stunning full-colour images, revealing forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities over a millennium of world history. In the nineteenth century, Scottish sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith brought manuscript pages back to England where Solomon Schechter recognized the lost Hebrew book of Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. Schechter then traveled to Cairo and toured the genizah, an attic chamber he described as a "windowless and doorless room of fair dimensions. The entrance is ... through a big, shapeless hole reached by a ladder." Over the millenia, hundreds and thousands of documents were buried in this attic crypt, vividly described by Schechter: "It is a battlefield of books, and the literary production of many centuries had their share in the battle ... some of the belligerents have perished outright, and are literally ground to dust in the terrible struggle for space". In addition to images of the book of Ben Sira, the collection includes fragments of the oldest known Latin edition of St Augustine's sermons, Origen's Hexapla, and a 5th or 6th century copy of Aquila's translation of Kings, approximately 60 manuscripts written by Moses Maimonides, and a medieval copy of the 'Damascus Document' which was confirmed as an ancient text by the discovery of another copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumram in 1947. See visual examples of the collection online. Learn more about the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit. Recommended reading: The Mind of a Bee by Lars Chittka From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit edited by Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Connolly, and Ben Outhwaite (open access edition available) Hosted by Meghan Cochran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Starting nearly a thousand years ago at the Ben Ezra Synagogue of Old Cairo, worn-out books and scrolls were put in the genizah, a storage area for sacred texts. In The Illustrated Cairo Genizah: A Visual Tour of Cairo Genizah Manuscripts at Cambridge Univertity Library (Gorgias Press, 2024), Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee tell the story of the genizah and show the journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research, showcasing over 300 stunning full-colour images, revealing forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities over a millennium of world history. In the nineteenth century, Scottish sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith brought manuscript pages back to England where Solomon Schechter recognized the lost Hebrew book of Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. Schechter then traveled to Cairo and toured the genizah, an attic chamber he described as a "windowless and doorless room of fair dimensions. The entrance is ... through a big, shapeless hole reached by a ladder." Over the millenia, hundreds and thousands of documents were buried in this attic crypt, vividly described by Schechter: "It is a battlefield of books, and the literary production of many centuries had their share in the battle ... some of the belligerents have perished outright, and are literally ground to dust in the terrible struggle for space". In addition to images of the book of Ben Sira, the collection includes fragments of the oldest known Latin edition of St Augustine's sermons, Origen's Hexapla, and a 5th or 6th century copy of Aquila's translation of Kings, approximately 60 manuscripts written by Moses Maimonides, and a medieval copy of the 'Damascus Document' which was confirmed as an ancient text by the discovery of another copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumram in 1947. See visual examples of the collection online. Learn more about the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit. Recommended reading: The Mind of a Bee by Lars Chittka From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit edited by Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Connolly, and Ben Outhwaite (open access edition available) Hosted by Meghan Cochran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
Starting nearly a thousand years ago at the Ben Ezra Synagogue of Old Cairo, worn-out books and scrolls were put in the genizah, a storage area for sacred texts. In The Illustrated Cairo Genizah: A Visual Tour of Cairo Genizah Manuscripts at Cambridge Univertity Library (Gorgias Press, 2024), Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee tell the story of the genizah and show the journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research, showcasing over 300 stunning full-colour images, revealing forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities over a millennium of world history. In the nineteenth century, Scottish sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith brought manuscript pages back to England where Solomon Schechter recognized the lost Hebrew book of Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. Schechter then traveled to Cairo and toured the genizah, an attic chamber he described as a "windowless and doorless room of fair dimensions. The entrance is ... through a big, shapeless hole reached by a ladder." Over the millenia, hundreds and thousands of documents were buried in this attic crypt, vividly described by Schechter: "It is a battlefield of books, and the literary production of many centuries had their share in the battle ... some of the belligerents have perished outright, and are literally ground to dust in the terrible struggle for space". In addition to images of the book of Ben Sira, the collection includes fragments of the oldest known Latin edition of St Augustine's sermons, Origen's Hexapla, and a 5th or 6th century copy of Aquila's translation of Kings, approximately 60 manuscripts written by Moses Maimonides, and a medieval copy of the 'Damascus Document' which was confirmed as an ancient text by the discovery of another copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumram in 1947. See visual examples of the collection online. Learn more about the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit. Recommended reading: The Mind of a Bee by Lars Chittka From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit edited by Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Connolly, and Ben Outhwaite (open access edition available) Hosted by Meghan Cochran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Starting nearly a thousand years ago at the Ben Ezra Synagogue of Old Cairo, worn-out books and scrolls were put in the genizah, a storage area for sacred texts. In The Illustrated Cairo Genizah: A Visual Tour of Cairo Genizah Manuscripts at Cambridge Univertity Library (Gorgias Press, 2024), Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee tell the story of the genizah and show the journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research, showcasing over 300 stunning full-colour images, revealing forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities over a millennium of world history. In the nineteenth century, Scottish sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith brought manuscript pages back to England where Solomon Schechter recognized the lost Hebrew book of Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. Schechter then traveled to Cairo and toured the genizah, an attic chamber he described as a "windowless and doorless room of fair dimensions. The entrance is ... through a big, shapeless hole reached by a ladder." Over the millenia, hundreds and thousands of documents were buried in this attic crypt, vividly described by Schechter: "It is a battlefield of books, and the literary production of many centuries had their share in the battle ... some of the belligerents have perished outright, and are literally ground to dust in the terrible struggle for space". In addition to images of the book of Ben Sira, the collection includes fragments of the oldest known Latin edition of St Augustine's sermons, Origen's Hexapla, and a 5th or 6th century copy of Aquila's translation of Kings, approximately 60 manuscripts written by Moses Maimonides, and a medieval copy of the 'Damascus Document' which was confirmed as an ancient text by the discovery of another copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumram in 1947. See visual examples of the collection online. Learn more about the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit. Recommended reading: The Mind of a Bee by Lars Chittka From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit edited by Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Connolly, and Ben Outhwaite (open access edition available) Hosted by Meghan Cochran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies
Starting nearly a thousand years ago at the Ben Ezra Synagogue of Old Cairo, worn-out books and scrolls were put in the genizah, a storage area for sacred texts. In The Illustrated Cairo Genizah: A Visual Tour of Cairo Genizah Manuscripts at Cambridge Univertity Library (Gorgias Press, 2024), Nick Posegay and Melonie Schmierer-Lee tell the story of the genizah and show the journey of discovery through more than 125 years of research, showcasing over 300 stunning full-colour images, revealing forgotten stories of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian communities over a millennium of world history. In the nineteenth century, Scottish sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith brought manuscript pages back to England where Solomon Schechter recognized the lost Hebrew book of Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus or Sirach. Schechter then traveled to Cairo and toured the genizah, an attic chamber he described as a "windowless and doorless room of fair dimensions. The entrance is ... through a big, shapeless hole reached by a ladder." Over the millenia, hundreds and thousands of documents were buried in this attic crypt, vividly described by Schechter: "It is a battlefield of books, and the literary production of many centuries had their share in the battle ... some of the belligerents have perished outright, and are literally ground to dust in the terrible struggle for space". In addition to images of the book of Ben Sira, the collection includes fragments of the oldest known Latin edition of St Augustine's sermons, Origen's Hexapla, and a 5th or 6th century copy of Aquila's translation of Kings, approximately 60 manuscripts written by Moses Maimonides, and a medieval copy of the 'Damascus Document' which was confirmed as an ancient text by the discovery of another copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumram in 1947. See visual examples of the collection online. Learn more about the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit. Recommended reading: The Mind of a Bee by Lars Chittka From the Battlefield of Books: Essays Celebrating 50 Years of the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Research Unit edited by Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Connolly, and Ben Outhwaite (open access edition available) Hosted by Meghan Cochran Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies
All can agree that the achievement of Moses Maimonides (d. 1204) set the standard for subsequent works of "Jewish philosophy". But just what were the contours of philosophical-scientific inquiry that Maimonides replaced? A fairly large array of diverse texts have been studied, but no comprehensive picture has yet emerged. The newly discovered Hebrew dialogue published here, Before Maimonides: A New Philosophical Dialogue in Hebrew (Brill, 2023), has points of contact of various depth with most of the major works of pre-Maimonidean thought. It shares as well influences from without, especially from the Islamic kalam. The dialogue thus presents, in an engaging literary form, a clear and detailed snapshot of pre-Maimonidean philosophy and science. Y. Tzvi Langermann teaches in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
All can agree that the achievement of Moses Maimonides (d. 1204) set the standard for subsequent works of "Jewish philosophy". But just what were the contours of philosophical-scientific inquiry that Maimonides replaced? A fairly large array of diverse texts have been studied, but no comprehensive picture has yet emerged. The newly discovered Hebrew dialogue published here, Before Maimonides: A New Philosophical Dialogue in Hebrew (Brill, 2023), has points of contact of various depth with most of the major works of pre-Maimonidean thought. It shares as well influences from without, especially from the Islamic kalam. The dialogue thus presents, in an engaging literary form, a clear and detailed snapshot of pre-Maimonidean philosophy and science. Y. Tzvi Langermann teaches in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies
All can agree that the achievement of Moses Maimonides (d. 1204) set the standard for subsequent works of "Jewish philosophy". But just what were the contours of philosophical-scientific inquiry that Maimonides replaced? A fairly large array of diverse texts have been studied, but no comprehensive picture has yet emerged. The newly discovered Hebrew dialogue published here, Before Maimonides: A New Philosophical Dialogue in Hebrew (Brill, 2023), has points of contact of various depth with most of the major works of pre-Maimonidean thought. It shares as well influences from without, especially from the Islamic kalam. The dialogue thus presents, in an engaging literary form, a clear and detailed snapshot of pre-Maimonidean philosophy and science. Y. Tzvi Langermann teaches in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/intellectual-history
All can agree that the achievement of Moses Maimonides (d. 1204) set the standard for subsequent works of "Jewish philosophy". But just what were the contours of philosophical-scientific inquiry that Maimonides replaced? A fairly large array of diverse texts have been studied, but no comprehensive picture has yet emerged. The newly discovered Hebrew dialogue published here, Before Maimonides: A New Philosophical Dialogue in Hebrew (Brill, 2023), has points of contact of various depth with most of the major works of pre-Maimonidean thought. It shares as well influences from without, especially from the Islamic kalam. The dialogue thus presents, in an engaging literary form, a clear and detailed snapshot of pre-Maimonidean philosophy and science. Y. Tzvi Langermann teaches in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
All can agree that the achievement of Moses Maimonides (d. 1204) set the standard for subsequent works of "Jewish philosophy". But just what were the contours of philosophical-scientific inquiry that Maimonides replaced? A fairly large array of diverse texts have been studied, but no comprehensive picture has yet emerged. The newly discovered Hebrew dialogue published here, Before Maimonides: A New Philosophical Dialogue in Hebrew (Brill, 2023), has points of contact of various depth with most of the major works of pre-Maimonidean thought. It shares as well influences from without, especially from the Islamic kalam. The dialogue thus presents, in an engaging literary form, a clear and detailed snapshot of pre-Maimonidean philosophy and science. Y. Tzvi Langermann teaches in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
All can agree that the achievement of Moses Maimonides (d. 1204) set the standard for subsequent works of "Jewish philosophy". But just what were the contours of philosophical-scientific inquiry that Maimonides replaced? A fairly large array of diverse texts have been studied, but no comprehensive picture has yet emerged. The newly discovered Hebrew dialogue published here, Before Maimonides: A New Philosophical Dialogue in Hebrew (Brill, 2023), has points of contact of various depth with most of the major works of pre-Maimonidean thought. It shares as well influences from without, especially from the Islamic kalam. The dialogue thus presents, in an engaging literary form, a clear and detailed snapshot of pre-Maimonidean philosophy and science. Y. Tzvi Langermann teaches in the Department of Arabic at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Julie and Jason interview philosopher Sarah Pessin about her work on Moses Maimonides and Emmanuel Levinas. What does it mean to know God while not-knowing God? What happens when language fails? How do we “hum with”? How many spheres are there, and how does each have its own intellect? What does Emmanuel Levinas have to tell us about thinking and being with others? How does Levinas imagine a structure of self that helps us to face the world? We also discuss Neoplatonism, phenomenology, the pulse, interfaith work, and Sarah's Jewish childhood in Brooklyn. Sarah Pessin is Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Thought at the University of Denver. She holds an Interfaith Chair, and works in areas of phenomenology, existentialism, Neoplatonism, interfaith civics, philosophy of religion, ethics, and social justice. She has won a teaching award from the graduate student council of the DU-Iliff Joint Doctoral Program in the Study of Religion, has served as a Fellow with the American Council on Education, and is the new Director of Spiritual Life for DU's Student Affairs and Inclusive Excellence. She is the author of Ibn Gabirol's Theology of Desire: Matter and Method in Jewish Medieval Neoplatonism (Cambridge University Press, 2013).
This week, the Tikvah Podcast at Mosaic returns to the towering intellectual and religious sage of medieval Judaism, Moses Maimonides, the Rambam. In two previous conversations about his work, the professor of Judaism Yehuda Halper and podcast host Jonathan Silver focused on Maimonides's Mishneh Torah, his code of law. This week, the two turn from the Mishneh Torah to Maimonides's philosophical magnum opus, Moreh ha Nevukhim, known in English as The Guide of the Perplexed. Whereas the Mishneh Torah leaves one with the impression that philosophy and law can be reconciled within the covenantal structure of an observant Jewish life, the emphasis in The Guide of the Perplexed is on the tensions, difficulties, and apparent contradictions between philosophy and law. The Guide is one of the great books of Jewish philosophy, and it requires some preliminary introduction before anyone can seriously engage its questions. So this discussion is an orientation to the kind of study, the kind of person, and the kind of life that the Guide is written to instruct. Musical selections in this podcast are drawn from the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, op. 31a, composed by Paul Ben-Haim and performed by the ARC Ensemble.
阿維森納(Avicenna,980–1037) 阿維羅伊(Averroës,1126–1198) 摩西·邁蒙尼德(Moses Maimonides,1135–1204)
We welcome Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg to talk about the five steps of repentance, set forth by Moses Maimonides, which form the heart of her recent book, On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In each episode of “40 Great Philosophers & What They Mean for Judaism,” Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz (President and Dean of Valley Beit Midrash) explores influential philosophers and how their teachings and beliefs relate to Jewish values and traditions. You can also listen to “40 Great Philosophers & What They Mean for Judaism” on your preferred podcast platform.Attended these classes live over Zoom by becoming a member for just $18 per month: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/become-a-member------------------Stay Connected with Valley Beit Midrash:• Website: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org• Donate: https://www.valleybeitmidrash.org/donate• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValleyBeitMidrash• Follow Rabbi Shmuly: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiShmulyYanklowitz
Subscribe for Free: https://intellectualfreedom.substack.com/Examples are everywhere—social media, political soundbites, and cable TV demonstrate that ignorance is trending globally. We have all seen it. It is scary to watch. Politicians boast, “I'm not a scientist,” or that people are “sick of the so-called experts.” Rather than expertise, lack of experience is explained as a positive thing, better than any credential. Healthy skepticism is important—but denying basic facts of the obvious sort is dangerous and breeds extremism. In this climate, misinformation or fake news is on the rise, and flagrant lies by those in positions of authority are accepted and spread without question by both sides of the ideological divide- these lies shape beliefs, foster mistrust, and breed anger among the population.The irony is that although we live in the information age, we do not appear well-informed at the minimum, or at worst, society is becoming downright ignorant. For all the benefits the information age has given to society, it surely has some unintended negative consequences. But there is a solution to combatting society's rising tide of ignorance. Ignorance is dangerous. When we lack knowledge or understanding but, with arrogance and bluster, claim to possess knowledge, bad things happen—division happens. Evil happens. In this podcast, we look back to a great theologian, philosopher, medical doctor and writer for a clear answer to combat ignorance in any era. His wisdom transcends generations, and we should all consider his teachings. His name is Moses Maimonides. Join me for a deep dive into his life, works, and practical knowledge we can all use to become more intelligent and wise in our lives. Follow Dr. Hopkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidDHopkins
One of the great debates in the history of Jewish theology is about how to reconcile two contradictory truths. First, that God is beyond human comprehension, and—unlike pagan deities—does not have a corporeal presence and is not subject to human emotions. Second, that the Hebrew Bible often describes God in human, bodily terms, as do the liturgy and rabbinic elaborations on Scripture. Thus, in one of the most poignant moments of the liturgical year, Jewish worshippers refer to God as Avinu Malkeinu, “our Father, our King.” This is but one of many Jewish prayers that, following the biblical text, describe God as a father. And God has long been thought of in paternal terms in the Jewish imagination. Yet, as Moses Maimonides and other Jewish philosophers never tire of reminding us, God exists beyond such human categories as sex, and can't be fully comprehended as a father. Therefore it is no contradiction that there are also aspects of womanhood and motherhood—specifically its creative, generative capabilities—that can be used in describing God. And perhaps that is why the Hebrew Bible sometimes portrays God not only a father but also as a mother. Malka Simkovich, whose essay on this subject was published in August 2022 in the Christian Century, discusses biblical portrayals of God's maternal love with Mosaic's editor Jonathan Silver.
Judaism's greatest philosopher, Moses Maimonides, believed that Judaism's ancient mystery tradition with all her secrets, had been lost to sands of time, and took it upon himself to reconstruct them, on his own, from scratch, with the tools of philosophy and rationality. Maimonides is known as the great Jewish rationalist of the Middle Ages, but his rationalism, goes deeper than most might suspect. Maimonides was a rationalist who believed that through the very tools of philosophy, with a perfect synthesis of mysticism and rationalism, he could re-discover the lost secret traditions of ancient Jewish mysticism, and uncover the true meaning of the bible. Join us in this final episode, where we hope to, for once and for all, answer the question of whether Maimonides was a rationalist or a mystic and find out he was really up to in his Guide for the Perplexed. Watch the rest of the Maimonides and Mysticism series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4ZgHJxQQVo&list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9 00:00 Maimonides Rationalism 13:13 Maimonides Mysticism 28:42 Lost Traditions 31:47 Prophecy and Reason 48:09 Telling Secrets 53:41 Maimonides today Thank you to Elisha Pearl, David Fried, Jeffery Radon and Levi Morrow for their thoughtful feedback and suggestions on this episode. Sources and Further Reading: • J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996 • Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides' Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Alfred Jospe, ed., Studies in Jewish Thought: An Anthology of German Jewish Scholarship (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), 200-219 • Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002, pp. 35-6 • Elliot R Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet Hermeneutics, Theosophy, and Theurgy, 2000, pp. 9-93 • Elliot Wolfson “Via Negativa in Maimonides and Its Impact on Thirteenth- Century Kabbalah.” In Maimonidean Studies 5, 2008 • Gideon Freudenthal, The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon • Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides' Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996) • José Faur, Homo Mysticus: A Guide to Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, 1998 • Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide Of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East And West Library New York, 1947 • Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, ed. Byron L. Sherwin and Michael Carasik (Chicago Spertus College of Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55) • Moshe Halbertal, “The History of Halakhah, Views from Within: Three Medieval Approaches to Tradition and Controversy,” in Harvard Law School Gruss Lectures (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School, 1994), 1-19 • Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990 • The Cultures of Maimonideanism, by James T. Robinson (ed.) 2009, p. xi • W. Z. Harvey, "The Return to Maimonideanism," Journal of Jewish Studies 42 (1980) 263, n. 1 • Yamin Levy, “How I was Taught to Read the Guide” in Principles, Essays on Halakha, Maḥshaba and History, Journal of the Ḥabura, January 2022, Edition 4 Join us: https://discord.gg/EQtjK2FWsm https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com Support us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU
This episode explores the life, teachings and movement of Abraham Maimonides, the son of the much more famous Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides (d. 1204).Sources/Suggested Reading:Idel, Moshe (1987). "The Mystical Experience in Abraham Abulafia". State University of New York PressKraemer, Joel L. (2010). "Maimonides: The Life and World of one of Civilization's Greatest Minds". Doubleday & Co Inc.Lobel, Diana (2021). "Moses and Abraham Maimonides: Encountering the Divine". Academic Studies Press.Russ-Fishbane, Elisha (2015). "Judaism, Sufism, and the Pietists of Medieval Egypt: A study of Abraham Maimonides and his times". Oxford University Press#Judaism #Mysticism #Sufism Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There's one final question to ask when examining Maimonides mysticism and that is, did Maimonides believe that the human could actually reach, know and experience God? Getting down to the fine print in the debate about Maimonides mysticism: Did Maimonides believe that one could know and unite with something metaphysical? And if so, which metaphysical entity does he believe the aspiring seeker can know and unite with, is it an entity which can be considered divine, God, or ultimate reality, making this union properly mystical in nature, a unio mystica? Can one, according to Maimonides, unite with God or only with the Active Intellect? And if it's the later, does he believe that the Active Intellect is divine, and if so in what way, and what does that mean for his mysticism? Sources and Further Reading: • Adam Afterman “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, 2016, pp. 105-119 • Alexander Altmann, "Maimonides on the Intellect and the Scope of Metaphysics," 1987, 60-129. • Alfred L. Ivry, “Maimonides and Neoplatonism” in Neoplatonism and Jewish Thought, 1992 • Aviezer Ravitzky, “The Secrets of the “Guide to the Perplexed,” Studies in Maimonides, 1990, 159–207. • Barry Kogan, "What Can We Know and When Can We Know It?," in Moses Maimonides and His Time, 1989, 130-7 • David Fried, Mysticism and its Alternatives: Rethinking Maimonides, 2018 • Diana Lobel, “Silence Is Praise to You” Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience, in American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly vol. 76, no. 1, 2002. • Gideon Freudenthal, “The Philosophical Mysticism of Maimonides and Maimon,” in Maimonides and his Heritage, 2009, 117-118. • Hannah Kasher, “Self-Cognizing Intellect and Negative Attributes in Maimonides' Theology.” • Herbert A. Davidson, Alfarabi, Avicenna, and Averroes on Intellect: Their Cosmologies, Theories of the Active Intellect, and Theories of Human Intellect, 1992, 197-207. • Herbert Davidson, "Maimonides on Metaphysical Knowledge," Maimonidean Studies 3 (1992-93): 79-87. • Idit Dobbs-Weinstein, Maimonides and St. Thomas on the Limits of Reason, 1995 • Josef Stern, “Maimonides' Demonstrations: Principles and Practice,” Medieval Philosophy and Theology 10 (2001): 80. • Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism, unpublished • Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, 1947 • Julius Guttmann, Religion and Knowledge, 103–118, especially 111. [Hebrew] • Michah Gottlieb, “Two Paradigms of the Nexus Between Philosophy and Mysticism Judah Halevi and Moses Maimonides” in Faith, Reason, Politics, 2013 • Moshe Idel, Studies in Ecstatic Kabbalah (NY: SUNY Press, 1988), p. 4 • Philip Merlan, Monopsychism, Mysticism, Metaconsciousness: Problems of the Soul in the Neoaristotelian and Neoplatonic Tradition, 1963 • Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides • Shlomo Pines, "The Limits of Human Knowledge According to Alfarabi, Ibn Bajja, and Maimonides," Studies in Medieval Jewish History and Literature, vol. 1, ed. I. Twersky, 1979, p. 94-100 • Shlomo Pines, “The Philosophical Purport of Maimonides Halachic Works and the Purport of the Guide of the Perplexed,” in Maimonides and Philosophy, 1986, 1-14.
In this week show we have a special presentation of the new audiobook by yours truly. Narrated by Joseph Balog. This book explores the concept of prophecy in Judaism as defined by two great figures of Jewish history. Moses Maimonides and Abraham Joshua Heschel are two influential scholars who have impacted the many streams of Judaism. A simplistic dichotomy could be made between their two perspectives labeling Maimonides as a rational philosopher and Heschel as a mystical one. Both the study of Jewish prophecy and the approaches of both of the scholars are complex topics, but not impossible to decipher. The nature of revelation is also part of this discussion. To some scholars Maimonides' and Heschel's perspectives of God seem to be in conflict, one being Aristotelian while the other being a more traditional one in line with the Bible and the Talmud.With these factors in mind and based on the available data my book will support the following contention: Maimonides' and Heschel's different philosophical approaches about the biblical prophets are within the bounds of classical Judaism. It's digital book version is available on: https://www.amazon.com/Hebrew-Prophets-Jewish-Perspective-Studies-ebook/dp/B07FPJ8JNMListen to The Bearded Mystic Podcast Creating a community to deepen our understanding of Non-Duality in Hinduism Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
An attempt to leave our 21st century heads and get back into the mind of a 12th century philosopher who saw the world in entirely different ways than we do. Diving into the Middle Ages thought the mind of Maimonides. Exploring Maimonides on the Cosmic Spheres, the Flow, the Active Intellect, his theory prophecy and.. how to becoming an angel. Sources and Further Reading • A. J. Heschel, “Did Maimonides Believe That He Had Attained the Rank of Prophet,” in Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets, 1996, pp. 69-126 • Adam Afterman “And They Shall Be One Flesh”: On the Language of Mystical Union in Judaism, 2016, p. 103-127 • Adam Afterman, “Moses Maimonides on the Holy Spirit,” in Journal of Religion vol. 100, 2020 • Alexander Altmann, Maimonides's Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism, p. 213 • Alfred Ivry, The Guide and Maimonides' Philosophical Sources, p. 59 • Christopher A. Morray-Jones, ‘‘Transformational Mysticism in the Apocalyptic-Merkabah Tradition,'' Journal of Jewish Studies 43 (1992): pp. 1–31 • Daniel Abrams, “Orality in the Kabbalistic School of Nahmanides: Preserving and Interpreting Esoteric Traditions and Texts,” Jewish Studies Quarterly 2 (1995): 85–102 • Diana Lobel, “'Silence Is Praise to You': Maimonides on Negative Theology, Looseness of Expression, and Religious Experience,” American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 76, no. 1 (2002): 31-58 • Diana Lobel, “A Dwelling Place for the Shekhinah.” Jewish Quarterly Review 90 (1999): 103–125 • Elliot Wolfson, ‘‘Yeridah la-Merkavah: Typology of Ecstasy and Enthronement in Early Jewish Mysticism,'' Mystics of the Book, 13–44, esp. pp. 23–26 • Elliot Wolfson, “By Way of Truth: Aspects of Nahmanides' Kabbalistic Hermeneutic,” AJS Review 14, (1989): 153–78 • Elliot Wolfson, “Mysticism and the Poetic-Liturgical,” p. 186 • Elliot Wolfson, “Seven Mysteries,” p. 191 • Haviva Pedaya, Nahmanides: Cyclical Time and Holy Text, (Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 2003) (Hebrew). • Ithamar Gruenwald, “Maimonides' Quest beyond Philosophy and Prophecy,” in Perspectives, ed. J. L. Kraemer (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), pp. 147 • Justin Sledge, “Maimonides at the Crossroads of Jewish Occultism, Magic and the Kabbalah” @ESOTERICA, Youtube, 15 April 2022, https://youtu.be/i6qclz26OYY • Matthew David Litwa, Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought, Becoming Angels and Demons, Cambridge and New York, Cambridge University Press, 2021 • Moshe Idel, “Enoch is Metatron,” Immanuel 24/25 (1990): 234–237 • Moshe Idel, “Rabbi Moshe ben Nahman: Kabbalah, Halachah and Spiritual Leadership,” Tarbiz 64, (1995): 535–580 (Hebrew) • Moshe Idel, “We Have No Kabbalistic Tradition on This,” in Rabbi Moses Nahmanides: Explorations in His Religious and Literary Virtuosity, 1983, 51–73 • Moshe Idel, The Angelic World, pp. 102-4; 210 • Pico Della Mirandola, Oration on the Dignity of Man, trans. A. Robert Caponigri, 1967, p. 9 • Sarah Pessin, The Influence of Islamic Thought on Maimonides, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 2005
"At this time, we have been beset by additional difficulties, everyone feels [financial] pressure, the wisdom of our Sages has become lost, and the comprehension of our men of understanding has become hidden. Therefore, those explanations, laws, and responsa which the Geonim composed and considered to be fully explained material have become difficult to grasp in our age, and only a select few comprehend these matters in the proper way." - Moses Maimonides, 1180ce A little over a year ago I wandered into a local watch shop because there was a bent pin on my watch band that had been driving me crazy, snagging on sleeves and the like, for more than five years. for some reason, as I walked through the mall, I noticed the watch shop and thought, I should get this pin replaced. That simple spur of the moment decision started me on a path that has provided me with answers to questions that I had, and even to questions that I didn't know that I had. So many times I have wondered to myself, why am I doing this? It applies to so much more than just faith, but in the end, it is my faith that is teaching me about my own purpose in both life and in this very show... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/plausibly-live/message
Introducing the greatest work of Jewish philosophy ever written. Moving masterfully through a thousand years of Greek, Jewish and Muslim philosophy, this text grapples profoundly with the problem of evil, the nature of reality and the meaning of life. Culminating with an astonishing re-reading of the Bible, which radically redefines God, religion and humanity in the process. Banned and burned by religious authorities, it continues to stir controversy hundreds of years later, perplexing the guided, and guiding the perplexed… Join us as we explore Moses Maimonides' Guide for the Perplexed, the Rambam's Moreh Nevuchim. Check out the rest of our “Maimonides and Mysticism” series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_7jcKJs6iwXUKaVOvNJWr5DSLPTYV0j9 00:00 A Guide to the Guide 01:39 Maimonides Series Recap 02:22 Intro, Influence, Controversy 05:22 Overview of the Guide 09:00 Maimonides' Sources 12:35 Maimonides' Puzzle 14:53 The Goal of the Guide Sources and Further Reading • Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonides, 2004, p. 213. • Joel Kraemer, “Maimonides and the Spanish Aristotelian School,” in Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Medieval and Early Modern Spain, 1999. • Joel Kraemer, Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds, New York: Doubleday, 2008. • Joel Kraemer, Moses Maimonides: An Intellectual Portrait, in The Cambridge Companion to Maimonides, Kenneth Seeskin (ed.), 2005, pp. 40-45. • Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism, (unpublished), 2005. • Julius Guttmann, “Introduction” in Maimonides, The Guide of The Perplexed, An Abridged Edition, East and West Library New York, 1947. • Leo Strauss, "How To Begin To Study The Guide," in The Guide of the Perplexed, tr. Pines, pp. xiii-xiv. • Mark Daniels, “The Perplexing Nature of the Guide for the Perplexed” in Philosophy Now 50:20-22, 2005. • Menachem Kellner, "Maimonides' Disputed Legacy," in Traditions of Maimonideanism, ed. Carlos Fraenkel (Leiden: Brill, 2009), 245-76. • Moses Maimonides, “Introduction” in The Guide of the Perplexed, translated by Shlomo Pines, 1963. • Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004. • Sarah Stroumsa, Maimonides in His World, Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker, 2009. • Shlomo Pines, “Translator's Introduction: The Philosophical Sources of The Guide of the Perplexed.” The Guide of the Perplexed, 1963. Join us: https://facebook.com/seekersofunity https://instagram.com/seekersofunity https://www.twitter.com/seekersofu https://www.seekersofunity.com Thank you to our beloved Patrons: Chezi, Jorge, Andrew, Alexandra, Füsun, Lucas, Andrew, Stian, Ivana, Aédàn, Darjeeling, Astarte, Declan, Gregory, Alex, Charlie, Anonymous, Joshua, Arin, Sage, Marcel, Ahawk, Yehuda, Kevin, Evan, Shahin, Al Alami, Dale, Ethan, Gerr, Effy, Noam, Ron, Shtus, Mendel, Jared, Tim, Mystic Experiment, MM, Lenny, Justin, Joshua, Jorge, Wayne, Jason, Caroline, Yaakov, Daniel, Wodenborn, Steve, Collin, Justin, Mariana, Vic, Shaw, Carlos, Nico, Isaac, Frederick, David, Ben, Rodney, Charley, Jonathan, Chelsea, Curly Joe, Adam and Andre. Join them in supporting us: patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seekers paypal: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=RKCYGQSMJFDRU Tags Guide of the Perplexed Guide for the Perplexed
AJ Langley is joined by Ilona Gerbakher to talk about the Jewish philosopher (and mystic) Moses Maimonides (1138–1204). We discuss the influence of Sufi mysticism on his work, why he believed that Jews had lost the ability to achieve mystical connection, and how they could learn to get it back. We also discuss antinomianism and AJ's hypothetical reaction to public nudity. Follow us on Twitter @myfavmystic, and if you are enjoying the podcast, rate and review us on your podcast app of choice!
In this week's show we discuss the Jewish mystical Meal of the Messiah celebrated the last day of Passover. The traditional "seder" celebrates Jewish redemption from slavery; however according to mystical sources the power of redemption is the greatest on the 8th day of this commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt. The Hasidim celebrate an event called the "Seudat Meshiach" as they believe that evil will be completely extinguished when the Messiah arrives, this includes exile and religious persecution. The ultimate goal of Judaism is for individual to get out of spiritual or physical oppression. There are many concepts related to the last day of Passover. This simple celebration includes a small meal of Matzah and wine or juice. The Talmudic rabbis or sages instituted the traditional "haggadah," the book telling the story which includes drinking a cup of wine, for each section of the "seder." We recite the "kiddush" blessing over the first cup, we read the Moses narrative at the time we partake of the second cup, we recite the Grace after Meals over the third cup, and we sing the "big Hallel" (Psalms and hymns of praises to G-d) over the fourth cup. The history of this meal goes back to the Baal Shem Tov (1700, died 22 May 1760), called the Bescht started the meal. Other sages like The Tzemach Tzedek said that the Meshiach prepares a chamber for the lowly in the world to come or the kingdom of Heaven. The Meal of Messiah comes from the "haftorah" biblical passage in which includes Isaiah 10 and 11 which discusses a time of freedom and no more oppression: They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9. Jews hope for a messianic time when they will dance with Messiah as Hashem was depicted dancing in the mountains as the Hebrews were coming out of Egypt. Moses Maimonides, a Medieval Jewish philosopher and scholar believed that during the times of the Messiah " The occupation of the entire world will be solely to know G-d..., and the Jews...will again gain an understanding of their Creator..."
Introducing the genius philosopher, torah scholar and physician, the man whose books were banned and burned and still went on to change the face of Judaism; Moses Maimonides, the Rambam. Maimonides timeline: 1138 Born in Cordoba, Spain under Almoravid rule. 1148 Cordoba invaded by the Almohades. Maimonides flees. 1158 Maimonides starts work on intercalation and Astronomy 1160 Family surfaces in Fez, the Almohad capital in Morocco. 1165 Family spends 6 months in Acre before leaving for Cairo 1168 Maimonides finishes his commentary on the Mishna 1170 Writes the Sefer haMitzvot on the 613 commandments. 1171 He is appointed the Head of Jews in Fostat, Cairo. 1171 Saladin/Ayyubids replace the Fatimid dynasty in Egypt. 1180 Finishes the Mishneh Torah, his legal magnum opus. 1185? Maimonides becomes doctor of al-Fadil, Saladin's vizier. 1190 Finishes the Moreh Nevuchim (Guide for the Perplexed). 1204 Maimonides passes away. Maimonides works (selection): Treatise on Logic, Millot ha-Higayon Commentary on the Mishna, Pirush HaMishnayot Book of the Commandments, Sefer haMitzvot Mishneh Torah, Yad HaChazakah The Guide for the Perplexed, Moreh Nevuchim Letter to the Jews of Yemen, Iggeret Teiman Treatise on Resurrection, Maamar Tekhiyat HaMetim Iggeret HaShmad, Maamar Kiddush HaShem Mark Daniels, The Perplexing Nature of the Guide for the Perplexed, Philosophy Now, Issue 50
Moses Maimonides war Arzt, Rechtsgelehrter und der wichtigste jüdische Philosoph des Mittelalters. Von Aristoteles geprägt, gelang es ihm, Vernunft und Glauben miteinander zu verbinden. Als "Rambam" ist er bis heute im Judentum eine feste Größe. Der zweifelnde Denker gilt als Vorbote der Aufklärung.
Possibly the most Jewish of all Christian hymns, “The God of Abraham Praise” has its roots all the way back to the Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), who wrote a confession of faith containing thirteen creeds. Modern congregations don't have the patience to sing all thirteen stanzas, so here is one of the lesser-known verses for you to ponder: “The God Who reigns on high the great archangels sing, And “Holy, holy holy!” Cry, “Almighty King!” Who was, and is, the same, and evermore shall be: Jehovah, LORD, the great I AM, we worship Thee! The resources used for the podcast include, but not limited to; “How Great Thou Art” written by Robert J. Morgan and Hymnary.org
The Guide for the Perplexed by Mūsá ibn Maymūn (known throughout the Christian West as Moses Maimonides) is regarded as one of the most important works of Medieval Jewish thought. The book attempted to harmonize the philosophy of Aristotle with the Rabbinical teachings, but was regarded by many at the time as antithetical to Jewish theology, despite its earnest arguments in vindication of the ways of God. Genre(s): Medieval, Other religions Language: English Moses Maimonides (1138 - 1204) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/3daudiobooks0/support
Photo: Yemenite Jewish family reading from the Psalms.The New John Batchelor ShowCBS Audio Network@BatchelorshowRescuing the last Jews in ravaged Yemen. Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie @RabbiElieAbadie, @AmericanSephard Malcolm Hoenlein @Conf_of_pres Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, Chair of the American Sephardi Federation’s Council of Sephardic Sages, comes from a long and distinguished rabbinical lineage dating back to fifteenth century Spain and Provence. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, he grew-up in Mexico City before settling in the United States. Following in the footsteps of the greatest Jewish scholar and philosopher Moses Maimonides (the RAMBAM), he is both a rabbi and a physician. Rabbi Dr. Abadie, founder of both NYC’s Edmond J. Safra Synagogue and the Moise Safra Community Center, is now based in Dubai, UAE. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/03/houthis-deport-some-yemens-last-remaining-jews https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-13-yemeni-jews-leave-pro-iran-region-for-cairo-nations-community-down-to-6/ https://www.yemenembassy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Houthi-Ideology.pdf https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/the-uaes-unprecedented-role-in-helping-reunite-jewish-family-is-symbolic-655389
Moses Maimonides gilt als einer der bedeutendsten Gelehrten des Mittelalters. Bekannt wurde er durch seine negative Theologie: "Ich weiß nur, was Gott nicht ist." Von Rolf Cantzen. (SWR 2019)
The Jewish philosopher Moses Maimonides (often referred to by his Hebrew acronym, RaMBaM) has come to be seen as the intellectual leader of the rationalist approach to Jewish tradition. However, his writings attracted fierce opposition from the Egyptian Jewish community of his day, which was deeply influenced by the mystical approaches of its Muslim neighbours. In this episode, Gavin and Jordan discuss documents from the Cairo Geniza, including a chance finding of a letter from a close associate of the RaMBaM that provides a window onto the controversies around his philosophical ideas. Read the original blog post at https://www.kotzkblog.com/2020/07/285-geniza-document-reveals-first.html
Hey everybody, Worldwide Jew here and on this episode of the Worldwide Jew Podcast we are concluding the 3 part episode on talking about Sephardic Jews. Here is some time stamps and links for further reading. Time Stamps Sephardic Jewish Food- 00:00:10 Bonus Section- 01:17:24 Personal Experiences/Customs of Sephardic Jews- 02:02:32 Links for further reading Sephardic Brotherhood- https://www.sephardicbrotherhood.com/ Lost Sephardim of Texas- https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/features/found-the-lost-sephardim-of-texas-1.11350 Couscous- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous Falafel- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falafel Halva- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halva Bunuelos- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bu%C3%B1uelo Ful- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ful_medames Muhallebi- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhallebi Sofrito- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sofrito Dolma- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolma Baba Sali- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Sali Ovadia Yosef- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovadia_Yosef Maimondes- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maimonides and https://www.britannica.com/biography/Moses-Maimonides
Kelly and Dermot tackle the reference to Averroes and Maimonides in "Nestor." Not only does this episode cover these two philosophers and their connection to Aristotle, there's also plenty of discussion on Morris dance, Giordano Bruno and the thematic importance of goth kids. Sweny's Patreon is half-way to its goal, but they can still use your help. Please subscribe! On the blog: Decoding Dedalus: Dark Men of Mien and Movement Social Media: Facebook|Twitter Subscribe to Blooms and Barnacles: iTunes| Google Play Music | Stitcher Further Reading & Listening: Adamson, P. (2013, Nov. 9). Episode 163: Burnt Offering - The Maimonides Controversy. The History of Philosophy[Audio podcast]. Adamson, P. (2013, Nov. 9). Episode 149: Back to Basics - Averroes on Reason and Religion. The History of Philosophy[Audio podcast]. Delaney, F. (2011, Sep. 27). Episode 68: A Trio of Dudes. Re:Joyce[Audio podcast]. Gifford, D., & Seidman, R. J. (1988). Ulysses annotated: Notes for James Joyce's Ulysses. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pasnau, R. (2011). The Islamic scholar who gave us modern philosophy. Humanities, 32 (6). Retrieved from: https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2011/novemberdecember/feature/the-islamic-scholar-who-gave-us-modern-philosophy Yudelson, L. (2017, Nov. 23). The brother Maimonides. The Jewish Standard. Retrieved from https://jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com/the-brothers-maimonides/ Music: Our theme is: Noir - S Strong & Boogie Belgique
After David had died, Moses/Maimonides still had a lot of life left to live, so this episode is about that life in Ayyubid Egypt. If you like what you hear and want to chip in to support the podcast, my Patreon is here, my Ko-fi is here, and Paypal is here. I'm on Twitter @circus_human, Instagram @humancircuspod, my website is www.humancircuspodcast.com, and I have some things on Redbubble at https://www.redbubble.com/people/humancircus. Sources:Ben-Sasson, Menahem. "Maimonides in Egypt: The First Stage," in Maimonidean Studies: vol. 1, edited by Arthur Hyman. Yeshiva University Press, 1991.Bareket, Elinoar. Fustat on the Nile: The Jewish Elite in Medieval Egypt. Brill, 1999.Davidson, Herbert, A. Moses Maimonides: The Man and His Works. Oxford University Press, 2004.Goitein, S.D. A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. IV: Daily Life. University of California Press, 2000.Halbertal, Moshe. Maimonides: Life and Thought, translated by Joel Linsider. Princeton University Press, 2014.Koros, Sarah. "Maimonides' Influence on Modern Judaic Thought and Practice," in Forbes & Fifth. Volume 10, Spring 2007.Kraemer, Joel L. Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization's Greatest Minds. Doubleday, 2010.Rudavsky, T.M. Maimonides. John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Moses Maimonides gilt als einer der bedeutendsten Gelehrten des Mittelalters. Bekannt wurde er durch seine negative Theologie: "Ich weiß nur, was Gott nicht ist.“ Von Rolf Cantzen
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo's Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo's Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can't recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo's Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo's Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can't recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo’s Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo’s Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can’t recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo’s Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo’s Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can’t recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo’s Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo’s Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can’t recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo’s Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo’s Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can’t recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tensions found between Reason and Revelation, between the traditions of the Bible and Greek thought, were central to pre-modern philosophy and in a sense remain so today. We live in an age beholden to both the religious and the secular as ways of understanding the ourselves and the world around us. Todays interview seeks to uncover when, and how this began. In his ambitious new book, Philo’s Heirs: Moses Maimonides and Thomas Aquinas (Academic Studies Press, 2017), Luis Cortest finds in Philo Judaeus, a Hellenistic philosopher who lived in first century Alexandria, the origins of a philosophic curriculum and method that would frame many of the concerns of medieval philosophy. Though a long millennium separates them, after opening with Philo, the heart of the book is dedicated to a comparison of Thomas Aquinas and Moses Maimonides in which Cortest uncovers a subtle genealogy that begins with Philo: how to read the Bible allegorically and do so through the lenses of Plato and Aristotle. All three thinkers ask: what is the role of religion in the establishment of politics and law, was the world created, what is God and does he shape world events? Rather than retrace the obvious, Philo’s Heirs encourages us to tease out the subterranean influences that animate the big questions of the western philosophic tradition and to think broadly, across large time periods and geographies, to answer these questions in our own day. Professor Luis Cortest is Professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the University of Oklahoma. Moses Lapin is a graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He can’t recall whether “the crisis” is in the humanities or with humanity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alfred Ivry‘s book, Maimonides' ‘Guide of the Perplexed': A Philosophical Guide (University of Chicago, 2016) is the only modern commentary in English to explicate Maimonides' summa The Guide of the Perplexed in its entirety. In so doing, it stands as a monument to both The Guide and to a career spent studying it. The book begins with an introduction that outlines its main arguments and method, and with chapters on Maimonides biography and intellectual context. It then divides the Guide into eight thematic sub-sections and provides a paraphrase and analysis of each in turn; it tackles the way Maimonides read the bible, synthesized physics and metaphysics, and espoused a new understanding of the Jewish tradition. The sections cover Maimonides' philosophy of language and anti-anthropomorphic reading of the bible, his opposition to Kalām (Islamic theology) and theory of creation, and his theories of prophecy, metaphysics, providence and theodicy. The work ends with chapters on the Law, on politics, and True Knowledge. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) was born in Cordoba, Spain and lived his mature life in Fustat, Egypt, he was a Jewish communal leader and legal scholar, physician and philosopher. The Guide is his philosophic masterwork, undoubtably one of the most influential and perplexing works of any faith written in the Middle Ages. Tucked away in Professor Ivry's analysis is a rich reflection on Maimonides' intellectual milieu and a genealogy sourced in both the Jewish tradition and Greek thought. Uniquely, he uses Maimonides' biography and psychology as analytical tools and sees the book as a reflection of a Maimonides' torn in his loyalties, seeking guidance as much as offering it, as a “mature spiritual and intellectual autobiography.” While others may read The Guide strictly as a work of exegesis or politics, Professor Ivry takes Maimonides' metaphysical claims seriously, and sees him as neither a total skeptic nor a strictly orthodox thinker. Rather, this commentary understands The Guide in the mode of a confession, as a tool to tease out and come to terms with the eternal tensions between Reason and Revelation, and to see “Maimonides [as] indebted to a philosophical tradition that contradicted his inherent faith.” Rarely has a summa, the mature reflections of a career steeped in philosophic thought, been made so accessible. Alfred Ivry is emeritus professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies as well as in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is renowned worldwide as both a scholar and a teacher, combining rich philological skills with a deep knowledge of Classical and Medieval philosophy; his career is now in its sixth decade. Moses Lapin is a perplexed graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alfred Ivry‘s book, Maimonides’ ‘Guide of the Perplexed’: A Philosophical Guide (University of Chicago, 2016) is the only modern commentary in English to explicate Maimonides’ summa The Guide of the Perplexed in its entirety. In so doing, it stands as a monument to both The Guide and to a career spent studying it. The book begins with an introduction that outlines its main arguments and method, and with chapters on Maimonides biography and intellectual context. It then divides the Guide into eight thematic sub-sections and provides a paraphrase and analysis of each in turn; it tackles the way Maimonides read the bible, synthesized physics and metaphysics, and espoused a new understanding of the Jewish tradition. The sections cover Maimonides’ philosophy of language and anti-anthropomorphic reading of the bible, his opposition to Kalām (Islamic theology) and theory of creation, and his theories of prophecy, metaphysics, providence and theodicy. The work ends with chapters on the Law, on politics, and True Knowledge. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) was born in Cordoba, Spain and lived his mature life in Fustat, Egypt, he was a Jewish communal leader and legal scholar, physician and philosopher. The Guide is his philosophic masterwork, undoubtably one of the most influential and perplexing works of any faith written in the Middle Ages. Tucked away in Professor Ivry’s analysis is a rich reflection on Maimonides’ intellectual milieu and a genealogy sourced in both the Jewish tradition and Greek thought. Uniquely, he uses Maimonides’ biography and psychology as analytical tools and sees the book as a reflection of a Maimonides’ torn in his loyalties, seeking guidance as much as offering it, as a “mature spiritual and intellectual autobiography.” While others may read The Guide strictly as a work of exegesis or politics, Professor Ivry takes Maimonides’ metaphysical claims seriously, and sees him as neither a total skeptic nor a strictly orthodox thinker. Rather, this commentary understands The Guide in the mode of a confession, as a tool to tease out and come to terms with the eternal tensions between Reason and Revelation, and to see “Maimonides [as] indebted to a philosophical tradition that contradicted his inherent faith.” Rarely has a summa, the mature reflections of a career steeped in philosophic thought, been made so accessible. Alfred Ivry is emeritus professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies as well as in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is renowned worldwide as both a scholar and a teacher, combining rich philological skills with a deep knowledge of Classical and Medieval philosophy; his career is now in its sixth decade. Moses Lapin is a perplexed graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alfred Ivry‘s book, Maimonides’ ‘Guide of the Perplexed’: A Philosophical Guide (University of Chicago, 2016) is the only modern commentary in English to explicate Maimonides’ summa The Guide of the Perplexed in its entirety. In so doing, it stands as a monument to both The Guide and to a career spent studying it. The book begins with an introduction that outlines its main arguments and method, and with chapters on Maimonides biography and intellectual context. It then divides the Guide into eight thematic sub-sections and provides a paraphrase and analysis of each in turn; it tackles the way Maimonides read the bible, synthesized physics and metaphysics, and espoused a new understanding of the Jewish tradition. The sections cover Maimonides’ philosophy of language and anti-anthropomorphic reading of the bible, his opposition to Kalām (Islamic theology) and theory of creation, and his theories of prophecy, metaphysics, providence and theodicy. The work ends with chapters on the Law, on politics, and True Knowledge. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) was born in Cordoba, Spain and lived his mature life in Fustat, Egypt, he was a Jewish communal leader and legal scholar, physician and philosopher. The Guide is his philosophic masterwork, undoubtably one of the most influential and perplexing works of any faith written in the Middle Ages. Tucked away in Professor Ivry’s analysis is a rich reflection on Maimonides’ intellectual milieu and a genealogy sourced in both the Jewish tradition and Greek thought. Uniquely, he uses Maimonides’ biography and psychology as analytical tools and sees the book as a reflection of a Maimonides’ torn in his loyalties, seeking guidance as much as offering it, as a “mature spiritual and intellectual autobiography.” While others may read The Guide strictly as a work of exegesis or politics, Professor Ivry takes Maimonides’ metaphysical claims seriously, and sees him as neither a total skeptic nor a strictly orthodox thinker. Rather, this commentary understands The Guide in the mode of a confession, as a tool to tease out and come to terms with the eternal tensions between Reason and Revelation, and to see “Maimonides [as] indebted to a philosophical tradition that contradicted his inherent faith.” Rarely has a summa, the mature reflections of a career steeped in philosophic thought, been made so accessible. Alfred Ivry is emeritus professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies as well as in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is renowned worldwide as both a scholar and a teacher, combining rich philological skills with a deep knowledge of Classical and Medieval philosophy; his career is now in its sixth decade. Moses Lapin is a perplexed graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alfred Ivry‘s book, Maimonides’ ‘Guide of the Perplexed’: A Philosophical Guide (University of Chicago, 2016) is the only modern commentary in English to explicate Maimonides’ summa The Guide of the Perplexed in its entirety. In so doing, it stands as a monument to both The Guide and to a career spent studying it. The book begins with an introduction that outlines its main arguments and method, and with chapters on Maimonides biography and intellectual context. It then divides the Guide into eight thematic sub-sections and provides a paraphrase and analysis of each in turn; it tackles the way Maimonides read the bible, synthesized physics and metaphysics, and espoused a new understanding of the Jewish tradition. The sections cover Maimonides’ philosophy of language and anti-anthropomorphic reading of the bible, his opposition to Kalām (Islamic theology) and theory of creation, and his theories of prophecy, metaphysics, providence and theodicy. The work ends with chapters on the Law, on politics, and True Knowledge. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) was born in Cordoba, Spain and lived his mature life in Fustat, Egypt, he was a Jewish communal leader and legal scholar, physician and philosopher. The Guide is his philosophic masterwork, undoubtably one of the most influential and perplexing works of any faith written in the Middle Ages. Tucked away in Professor Ivry’s analysis is a rich reflection on Maimonides’ intellectual milieu and a genealogy sourced in both the Jewish tradition and Greek thought. Uniquely, he uses Maimonides’ biography and psychology as analytical tools and sees the book as a reflection of a Maimonides’ torn in his loyalties, seeking guidance as much as offering it, as a “mature spiritual and intellectual autobiography.” While others may read The Guide strictly as a work of exegesis or politics, Professor Ivry takes Maimonides’ metaphysical claims seriously, and sees him as neither a total skeptic nor a strictly orthodox thinker. Rather, this commentary understands The Guide in the mode of a confession, as a tool to tease out and come to terms with the eternal tensions between Reason and Revelation, and to see “Maimonides [as] indebted to a philosophical tradition that contradicted his inherent faith.” Rarely has a summa, the mature reflections of a career steeped in philosophic thought, been made so accessible. Alfred Ivry is emeritus professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies as well as in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is renowned worldwide as both a scholar and a teacher, combining rich philological skills with a deep knowledge of Classical and Medieval philosophy; his career is now in its sixth decade. Moses Lapin is a perplexed graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Alfred Ivry‘s book, Maimonides’ ‘Guide of the Perplexed’: A Philosophical Guide (University of Chicago, 2016) is the only modern commentary in English to explicate Maimonides’ summa The Guide of the Perplexed in its entirety. In so doing, it stands as a monument to both The Guide and to a career spent studying it. The book begins with an introduction that outlines its main arguments and method, and with chapters on Maimonides biography and intellectual context. It then divides the Guide into eight thematic sub-sections and provides a paraphrase and analysis of each in turn; it tackles the way Maimonides read the bible, synthesized physics and metaphysics, and espoused a new understanding of the Jewish tradition. The sections cover Maimonides’ philosophy of language and anti-anthropomorphic reading of the bible, his opposition to Kalām (Islamic theology) and theory of creation, and his theories of prophecy, metaphysics, providence and theodicy. The work ends with chapters on the Law, on politics, and True Knowledge. Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) was born in Cordoba, Spain and lived his mature life in Fustat, Egypt, he was a Jewish communal leader and legal scholar, physician and philosopher. The Guide is his philosophic masterwork, undoubtably one of the most influential and perplexing works of any faith written in the Middle Ages. Tucked away in Professor Ivry’s analysis is a rich reflection on Maimonides’ intellectual milieu and a genealogy sourced in both the Jewish tradition and Greek thought. Uniquely, he uses Maimonides’ biography and psychology as analytical tools and sees the book as a reflection of a Maimonides’ torn in his loyalties, seeking guidance as much as offering it, as a “mature spiritual and intellectual autobiography.” While others may read The Guide strictly as a work of exegesis or politics, Professor Ivry takes Maimonides’ metaphysical claims seriously, and sees him as neither a total skeptic nor a strictly orthodox thinker. Rather, this commentary understands The Guide in the mode of a confession, as a tool to tease out and come to terms with the eternal tensions between Reason and Revelation, and to see “Maimonides [as] indebted to a philosophical tradition that contradicted his inherent faith.” Rarely has a summa, the mature reflections of a career steeped in philosophic thought, been made so accessible. Alfred Ivry is emeritus professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies as well as in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at New York University. He is renowned worldwide as both a scholar and a teacher, combining rich philological skills with a deep knowledge of Classical and Medieval philosophy; his career is now in its sixth decade. Moses Lapin is a perplexed graduate student in the departments of History and Philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
CSP: Ruderman - Debates that Shaped Jewish Thinking and Their Contemporary Significance- Pt1: From the Middle Ages to the Present: Judah Ha-Levi versus Moses Maimonides
In a time when so many of us are under pressure -- working night and day, taking care of the generation under us and the generation above us, watching our debts rise and the prospects of our children fade-- of course the solutions offered by those eager to capitalize on our anxiety is to call for a return to some Golden Age where those ones supposedly to blame for our problems because they didn't keep to their station are fenced out, and we are once again on top. The problem with this is that often those Golden Ages never existed: they are a fabrication about the past by those who want power. One such Golden Age that is offered up as "Traditional Judaism" is the one where women stayed in the home, having babies, and didn't seek to compete for control of the public realm with men, one where they leave Torah study to others. When I was speaking about this recently, one congregant said, "Look, Rabbi, I support egalitarianism, that's why I'm a Conservative Jew, but I also am deeply respectful of the Orthodox who are preserving Judaism the way it was." Only problem? The limitations on women are not the Judaism that was, but come from a modern reactionism that is recent. In the Shulkhan Arukh Code of Jewish Law (early 1500's), women read from the Torah. In the Talmud, women prayed our liturgy, and were not limited as they are in Ultra-Orthodoxy today to reading just Psalms. The earliest evidence for a separation mechitzah between men and women is found in the post-Talmudic medieval period in Muslim countries, adopting it from Islam. ["Traditional Judaism" should be understood as Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism, covering roughly 1200 BCE-1500 CE, not later emendations.] This "Golden Age" where "men and women knew their traditional Jewish roles" is a dangerous fiction, and dates mostly to the late Medieval period, and especially the 1800's, when laws and customs were ADDED [in violation of the Torah's rule that one may not add laws] in order to create these gender roles in a tradition that had been a champion of women's equality. In my sermon on Parashat Bereishit (Genesis), I compare the situation to the original blaming of women [especially in early Christian commentaries] for the world's problems --Eve being the weak link the Serpent tricks, and then she gives Adam to eat-- and instead locate the "sin" in Adam's adding an illegal fence around the tree to prevent her from touching it, a rule God never gave but meant, apparently, for her own good. The coincidence this week was divine: a photograph of our Simchat Torah celebration, with a woman carrying the Torah scroll, was met with a comment from an Orthodox woman that "the rabbi of your congregation should know that a woman is forbidden from touching a Torah scroll!" Really? That's news to our legal codes: "All who are impure, even women who are menstruating, and even a non-Jew, may hold a Torah scroll and read from it, for words of Torah are not susceptible to impurity, provided that the holder's hands are not physically soiled or dirty. [If they are, then] they must wash their hands and then they may touch it." Laws of Torah Scrolls, 10:8, R. Moses Maimonides (c. 1180)
In this episode, Annalee speaks with Angela Snow & Tamar Dubb from Soulfull Broths about the benefits of brothing. Bone Broth has been around for millennia & its miracles known to many. From grandmothers & mothers to physicians & healers, bone broth has been & still is, a staple in the diet of many cultures. In the west, and since the industrial revolution theer has been a loss of tradition in the area of slow food & home cooking in general. We look at Bone broth, its many benefits, recipes & other information in this delicious episode.Links:http://www.soulfullbroth.comhttps://www.facebook.com/SoulfullBrothsLinks to research discussed:1. Moses Maimonides on Asthma - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/36/4/245.full.pdf2. Weston A Price foundation on Bone Broth - http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/3. Glutamine & the microbime - http://www.westonaprice.org/uncategorized/can-broth-help-us-maintain-a-healthy-weight-a-study-on-glutamine-and-the-microbiome-suggests-it/Produced and Presented by Annalee Atia for PBB MediaCopyright Annalee Atia, PBB Media
In this episode, Annalee speaks with Angela Snow & Tamar Dubb from Soulfull Broths about the benefits of brothing. Bone Broth has been around for millennia & its miracles known to many. From grandmothers & mothers to physicians & healers, bone broth has been & still is, a staple in the diet of many cultures. In the west, and since the industrial revolution theer has been a loss of tradition in the area of slow food & home cooking in general. We look at Bone broth, its many benefits, recipes & other information in this delicious episode.Links:http://www.soulfullbroth.comhttps://www.facebook.com/SoulfullBrothsLinks to research discussed:1. Moses Maimonides on Asthma - http://thorax.bmj.com/content/36/4/245.full.pdf2. Weston A Price foundation on Bone Broth - http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/broth-is-beautiful/3. Glutamine & the microbime - http://www.westonaprice.org/uncategorized/can-broth-help-us-maintain-a-healthy-weight-a-study-on-glutamine-and-the-microbiome-suggests-it/Produced and Presented by Annalee Atia for PBB MediaCopyright Annalee Atia, PBB Media
In Isaiah we read of the Servant songs, a collection of poems or songs speaking of the servant of God. There are ancient Rabbinic sources that see Isaiah 53 as referring explicitly to a suffering Messiah. The Babylonian Talmud, the midrash on Ruth, the Aramaic Targum, the writings of Moses Maimonides, and the mystical texts of the Zohar all contain exegesis to this effect. We have two strains of thought in these servant songs - the suffering Messiah and the reigning Messiah. Christians have interpreted these texts as referring to the First and Second Comings of Christ. At the critical turning point of the Gospel, Jesus asks his disciples "Who do people say I am?" It is here that Peter gives his confession and Jesus the prediction of his crucifiction. He then goes on to talk about discipleship and his Second Coming. In Mathew 16:27 we read a prediction about the Son of Man at the End of Time. Christ came 2000 years ago to show us the way, but he showed more. He, of his own will, voluntarily died for our sins and was raised again triumphantly. This triumphance was not seen by everyone and he did not remain on Earth to reign. There is a great deal yet to be established. Our Earth is not yet the Messianic Kingdom; there is more yet to be accomplished in this great drama. A great drama that includes each of us.
Legend: Bird flies at the window, death knocks at the door. According to legend, if a bird crashes into a window in your house and dies from the collision, it is a portent that someone close to you is going to die. Background: Can someone who's passed away send the living messages by manipulating our world and even other living things in it? That's what Eric Robinson says happened to him and his entire family and when you hear the details, you'll have a hard time drawing a different conclusion. Stories: If you can't click on this link, visit our website. Eric's story starts out with the passing of his mom in 2004 and the events that lead up to that and followed it as well. A Great List of Eerie Bird Superstitions Bird Flies at the Window, Death Knocks at the Door Moses Maimonides The Wikipedia Page on Maimonides Hervey Medellin The Crime The Arrest of the Perpetrator Interesting Fact: On the day that Lucille Ball's dad passed away from Typhoid Fever, a bird flew into her house becoming trapped and knocking down a picture. After that event, she had a fear of birds (ornithophobia) for the rest of her life. She didn't even like to see them flying outside and forbid the use of wallpaper with birds on it everywhere she went. Credits: Episode 009 - 'The Birds, the Psychic and Ollie the Crime-Fighting Dog' Produced by Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess, Ryan McCullough Sound Design Copyright Scott Philbrook & Forrest Burgess 2015, All Rights Reserved. photos: Bird Smack by Scott Philbrook Copyright 2015 All Rights Reserved, Robinson Family photo (from Left, Eric's sister, Eric, and his mom about a month before she passed, Copyright Eric Robinson 2015 All Rights Reserved, Eric's Dad's Barbershop via Google Streetview, Moses Maimonides public domain, Ollie the dog, Copyright Eric Robinson 2015 All Rights Reserved, Hervey Medellin and the man who killed him.
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the concept of God from a philosophical perspective. We first broaden our definition of God by recalling the multitude of ways that the philosophers we’ve already studied have approached the subject. Next, we examine St. Anselm’s famous “Ontological Argument” in proof of God’s existence, which is strangely reminiscent of a tongue twister Ron Burgundy might use to prepare for his evening newscast. Finally, we learn why Moses Maimonides would say that the first rule of God is, “You do not talk about God.” Or at least, “You do not talk about what God is, only what he isn’t.” All this and more on the latest episode of Philosophize This! Support the show on Patreon! www.philosophizethis.org for additional content. Thank you for wanting to know more today than you did yesterday. :)
The medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides' most famous work, The Guide of the Perplexed, has been interpreted variously as an attempt to reconcile reason and religion, as a guide to philosophers on ruling the community while concealing the truth, or as an exegesis of rabbinical texts. In The Matter and Form of Maimonides' Guide (Harvard University Press, 2013), Josef Stern provides an entirely distinct reading of this singular work. Stern, William H. Colvin Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies, argues that for Maimonides, reason and religion are just one domain, not two that need to be reconciled; that biblical parable is a literary device used to articulate our incomplete understanding of truths about general welfare and individual happiness; and that Maimonides is primarily motivated by the question of what the best attainable human life can be given our embodied nature. The Guide is in effect a primer that trains the reader to tease apart the multiple meanings of biblical texts – even though these exercises will not yield knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, including knowledge of God. Stern combines deep familiarity with Maimonides, his works, and his intellectual environment with expertise in contemporary philosophy of language in this major contribution to historical-philosophical scholarship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides’ most famous work, The Guide of the Perplexed, has been interpreted variously as an attempt to reconcile reason and religion, as a guide to philosophers on ruling the community while concealing the truth, or as an exegesis of rabbinical texts. In The Matter and Form of Maimonides’ Guide (Harvard University Press, 2013), Josef Stern provides an entirely distinct reading of this singular work. Stern, William H. Colvin Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies, argues that for Maimonides, reason and religion are just one domain, not two that need to be reconciled; that biblical parable is a literary device used to articulate our incomplete understanding of truths about general welfare and individual happiness; and that Maimonides is primarily motivated by the question of what the best attainable human life can be given our embodied nature. The Guide is in effect a primer that trains the reader to tease apart the multiple meanings of biblical texts – even though these exercises will not yield knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, including knowledge of God. Stern combines deep familiarity with Maimonides, his works, and his intellectual environment with expertise in contemporary philosophy of language in this major contribution to historical-philosophical scholarship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides’ most famous work, The Guide of the Perplexed, has been interpreted variously as an attempt to reconcile reason and religion, as a guide to philosophers on ruling the community while concealing the truth, or as an exegesis of rabbinical texts. In The Matter and Form of Maimonides’ Guide (Harvard University Press, 2013), Josef Stern provides an entirely distinct reading of this singular work. Stern, William H. Colvin Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies, argues that for Maimonides, reason and religion are just one domain, not two that need to be reconciled; that biblical parable is a literary device used to articulate our incomplete understanding of truths about general welfare and individual happiness; and that Maimonides is primarily motivated by the question of what the best attainable human life can be given our embodied nature. The Guide is in effect a primer that trains the reader to tease apart the multiple meanings of biblical texts – even though these exercises will not yield knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, including knowledge of God. Stern combines deep familiarity with Maimonides, his works, and his intellectual environment with expertise in contemporary philosophy of language in this major contribution to historical-philosophical scholarship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides’ most famous work, The Guide of the Perplexed, has been interpreted variously as an attempt to reconcile reason and religion, as a guide to philosophers on ruling the community while concealing the truth, or as an exegesis of rabbinical texts. In The Matter and Form of Maimonides’ Guide (Harvard University Press, 2013), Josef Stern provides an entirely distinct reading of this singular work. Stern, William H. Colvin Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies, argues that for Maimonides, reason and religion are just one domain, not two that need to be reconciled; that biblical parable is a literary device used to articulate our incomplete understanding of truths about general welfare and individual happiness; and that Maimonides is primarily motivated by the question of what the best attainable human life can be given our embodied nature. The Guide is in effect a primer that trains the reader to tease apart the multiple meanings of biblical texts – even though these exercises will not yield knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, including knowledge of God. Stern combines deep familiarity with Maimonides, his works, and his intellectual environment with expertise in contemporary philosophy of language in this major contribution to historical-philosophical scholarship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides’ most famous work, The Guide of the Perplexed, has been interpreted variously as an attempt to reconcile reason and religion, as a guide to philosophers on ruling the community while concealing the truth, or as an exegesis of rabbinical texts. In The Matter and Form of Maimonides’ Guide (Harvard University Press, 2013), Josef Stern provides an entirely distinct reading of this singular work. Stern, William H. Colvin Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies, argues that for Maimonides, reason and religion are just one domain, not two that need to be reconciled; that biblical parable is a literary device used to articulate our incomplete understanding of truths about general welfare and individual happiness; and that Maimonides is primarily motivated by the question of what the best attainable human life can be given our embodied nature. The Guide is in effect a primer that trains the reader to tease apart the multiple meanings of biblical texts – even though these exercises will not yield knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, including knowledge of God. Stern combines deep familiarity with Maimonides, his works, and his intellectual environment with expertise in contemporary philosophy of language in this major contribution to historical-philosophical scholarship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The medieval Jewish scholar Moses Maimonides’ most famous work, The Guide of the Perplexed, has been interpreted variously as an attempt to reconcile reason and religion, as a guide to philosophers on ruling the community while concealing the truth, or as an exegesis of rabbinical texts. In The Matter and Form of Maimonides’ Guide (Harvard University Press, 2013), Josef Stern provides an entirely distinct reading of this singular work. Stern, William H. Colvin Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and Director of the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies, argues that for Maimonides, reason and religion are just one domain, not two that need to be reconciled; that biblical parable is a literary device used to articulate our incomplete understanding of truths about general welfare and individual happiness; and that Maimonides is primarily motivated by the question of what the best attainable human life can be given our embodied nature. The Guide is in effect a primer that trains the reader to tease apart the multiple meanings of biblical texts – even though these exercises will not yield knowledge of metaphysics and cosmology, including knowledge of God. Stern combines deep familiarity with Maimonides, his works, and his intellectual environment with expertise in contemporary philosophy of language in this major contribution to historical-philosophical scholarship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Stephen dwells on ancient philosophers: Averroes, Moses Maimonides, Bruno.
Guest: Rabbi Irwin Kula, MA Host: Bill Rutenberg, MD When a medical error occurs, is sorry enough or do we need to ask for forgiveness? Rabbi Irwin Kula engages host Dr. Bill Rutenberg in a enlightening discussion about the challenges of asking for forgivness especially in the medical profession. Traditional physician training teaches us not to be vulnerable yet the challenge of asking forgiveness puts us in a vulnerable situation. Join our discussion to also learn how the practices of Dr. Moses Maimonides can be helpful in creating a framework in which to ask for forgiveness.