Maimonides
The Aleppo Codex and the Ownership of TraditionWednesday, September 12, 2012 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The Torah belongs to all Jews and, indeed, to anyone who cares to learn and live its ways. But it is not transparent.
Spinoza in ShtreimelsTuesday, September 4, 2012 by Carlos Fraenkel | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Philosophy professor Carlos Fraenkel wrote that “the cultural relativism that often underlies Western multicultural agendas [is] a much greater obstacle to a culture of debate than religion.” Today, in an exclusive preview from the Jewish Review of Books, Fraenkel relates how his theory fared among a group of Hasidim.
Who Owns Maimonides?Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by Joshua Halberstam | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Abraham Joshua Heschel once suggested that if one didn't know that "Maimonides" was a person, one would assume it was the name of a university. Heschel was referring to the monumental breadth and influence of the 12th-century philosopher's work.
Tisha b’Av NowMonday, July 19, 2010 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Tomorrow is Tisha b'Av, the traditional day of fasting and lamentation for the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the sorrows of Jewish history. But ours is a moment of unprecedented Jewish sovereignty and unparalleled Jewish prosperity. And so, many are asking, why bother?
Editors' Picks
Manna From Heaven? Natan Slifkin, Rationalist Judaism. Are miracles supernatural or naturalistic phenomena? Maimonides seems to give contradictory answers—particularly on the subject of manna.
The Purpose of Prayer Yakov Danishefsky, Kol Hamevaser. Jews are commanded to worship God. But do we pray for God's sake, for our own—or both?
More than Just God's Name Gil Student, Torah Musings. When God spoke His name to Moses, was He providing proof of His existence, as Rambam argues, or merely stating the qualities with which He would redeem His people?
To Touch the Hand of God Gil Student, Torah Musings. Maimonides and Nahmanides disagree about translating biblical references to God’s physical attributes—because they disagree about the nature and purpose of language itself.
Not Written in the Stars Jennifer Lipman, Jewish Chronicle. Like the Mayans who said the world would end on December 21, medieval Jews predicted the future from the cosmos—much to the consternation of Maimonides.
Branching Out Shmarya Rosenberg, Failed Messiah. Virtually every ancient image of the menorah depicts it with curved branches. So, why do Chabad’s hanukkiot have angled straight branches instead?
Hanukkah Musings Gil Student, Ari Enkin, Torah Musings. From whether a convert can recite the Al ha-Nisim blessing to how to eat a donut, here are the answers to Hanukkah questions you never thought to ask. (E-book)
There Must Be an Angel Gil Student, Torah Musings. While angels often appear in Biblical narratives, medieval Jewish commentators could not agree about what they are—and what their nature means for the afterlife.
The Name of the Rambam Fred MacDowell, On the Main Line. On one acrostic in one piyut, and its implications for our understanding of the man we know—perhaps mistakenly—as Maimonides.
Punishment without Crime Gil Student, Torah Musings. If God prophesies to Abraham that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land, why does He ultimately punish the Egyptians?