Editing The Rambam

Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (known as the Rambam) (14th of Nissan 4895 - 20th of Teves 4965) is among the greatest poskim of halacha, author of the Mishneh Torah. The gedolei hadoros expressed about him: "From Moshe until Moshe there arose none like Moshe."

= Life History =
The Rambam was born in Cordoba, in Al-Andalus, today Spain, to his father Rabbi Maimon the Dayan. The Rambam's family was called 'ben Ovadiah,' after the first family ancestor in the Rambam's lineage records, R' Ovadiah the Dayan of Cordoba. Some trace the Rambam's lineage to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi who was descended from Dovid HaMelech.

He was educated by his father Rabbi Maimon the Dayan, who greatly influenced his thought, and by his father's primary teacher - Rabbi Yosef ibn Migash, who served as dayan in Cordoba, about whom the Rambam testified: "For this man's heart in Talmud astonishes those who study his words and the depth of his understanding in analysis until we can almost say of him 'and there was none like him before him among kings' in his conduct and ways." The Rambam also saw himself as a student of Rabbi Yosef ibn Migash's teacher - Rabbi Yitzchok Alfasi, the Rif.

In 4908 (1148), when the Rambam was thirteen years old, his family was forced to leave Cordoba in Spain following the invasion of the Almohads from North Africa and their persecution of the area's Jews.

After a journey of wandering that lasted about ten years, the family tried to settle in the city of Fez in Morocco. In Fez, the Rambam apparently wrote Iggeres HaShmad, addressing the proper Jewish response to the phenomenon of forced conversion in Morocco and Spain. But their tranquility there did not last long, and after five years they were forced to leave the city due to growing Muslim zealotry and Morocco becoming a dangerous place for Jews.

= Journey to Eretz Yisroel =
In 4926, the Rambam and his family sailed from Ceuta to Acco in Eretz Yisroel, where they settled. The Jewish community in Acco was in those days one of the largest in Eretz Yisroel, and received the Rambam's family with great honor. The rav of Acco, Rabbi Yafes ben Rabbi Eliyahu, formed a close friendship with the Rambam that continued through correspondence even years later, and eventually through Rabbi Yafes's appointment as one of the dayanim in the Alexandria community, which was under the Rambam's authority as head of Egypt's rabbonim. Five months after arriving in Eretz Yisroel, the Rambam, his father, and Rabbi Yafes visited Yerushalayim and davened at the Kosel HaMaaravi. From there they traveled to Chevron and davened at Me'aras HaMachpelah.

= Life in Egypt =
After five months, and following the passing of his father Rabbi Maimon, the family settled in Egypt. Initially the family lived in Alexandria, and after several years moved to Fustat, Old Cairo. In an epidemic that raged in the city due to poor sanitation conditions, the Rambam's wife and daughter passed away. Afterward, the Rambam married the daughter of R' Mishael HaLevi (the Rambam's student), son of R' Yeshaya HaChassid HaLevi Alteka, son-in-law of Rabbi Dosa ben Yaakov, and there his son Avraham was born.

The Rambam served as leader of the Cairo community, and for many years earned his living from his brother Dovid's investment of his money; Dovid owned a ship and traded in precious stones. But after the brother perished in a shipwreck around 4938, which caused the Rambam great mourning and resulted in him being bedridden for an entire year, the Rambam was forced to earn his living from his own work and became one of the best physicians in Cairo.

Due to his great medical expertise, in 4946 the Rambam began serving as physician to the vizier Al-Fadhil, the king's deputy, and later also to Al-Fadhil, son of King Saladin. As a result, he spent considerable time in the royal palace. Many folk stories deal with this period in the Rambam's life, with their background being the court intrigues and the Muslim ministers' jealousy of the successful Jewish physician.

Besides his work in the king's court, the Rambam provided healing to the masses who thronged to his door, Jews and non-Jews alike.

= Our Rebbeim's Relationship to the Rambam =
The Rebbe referred prominently to the Rambam's personality and thought. For example, he expounded on the saying "From Moshe until Moshe there arose none like Moshe" saying: "From the time of Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe ben Amram, until the time of Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon the Sephardi 'there arose none like Moshe'... From Moshe Rabbeinu's time until the Rambam's time about fifty generations passed... All the gedolei Yisroel during these generations - from Yehoshua and Yehoshua to the Zekeinim and Zekeinim to the Nevi'im and Nevi'im to the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah, the Tanaim and Amoraim that the Rambam counted in the forty generations of those who received the Torah - there was not one among them who could be compared to Moshe Rabbeinu, until Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon came." The Rebbe also called him "Moreh Nevuchim - both in his generation and for all generations."

= His Knowledge of Kabbalah =
The Mitteler Rebbe said the Rambam reached up to Olam HaYetzirah, and from there perceived the light of Olam HaBriah.

The Rebbe Maharash told his son the Rebbe Rashab in one of their lessons studying Moreh Nevuchim that he had a kabbalah from rebbe to rebbe until Morenu the Baal Shem Tov that the Rambam was a great mekubal, and the reason he didn't reveal this even with a hint like Rashi did was because it was then a dangerous time to reveal matters of Kabbalah even by hint. Similarly, the holy Rav of Kamarna writes in "Nesiv Mitzvosecha" that although the Ramban did not merit to see the Zohar, "the Rambam appears from his words in several halachos and matters to have certainly seen it."

However, in Shaar HaGilgulim the Arizal writes that the Rambam did not merit to know the wisdom of the Zohar, and explains the reason for this according to Kabbalah, while in contrast the Ramban merited it but only at the end of his days.

The Rebbe notes in several places that the source of the Rambam's words is from the Zohar. A prominent example of this is in the Rebbe's words: "Regarding the source of the Rambam's words at the beginning of the sefer 'The foundation of foundations and pillar of wisdom is to know that there exists a Primary Being...' one can say that the source is in the words of the Zohar Parshas Va'eira... 'This first commandment of all commandments... to know Him, the Holy One Blessed be He... that there is a supreme ruler who is Master of all worlds and created them all, heaven and earth and all their hosts.' Indeed, the Rambam's language is a translation - into Lashon Hakodesh - of the Zohar's language."

= The Rambam's Birth Date =
The Rambam was born on 14th of Nissan in the year 4895.

Among researchers there is confusion on this topic due to contradictory evidence. At the end of his commentary on the Mishnah, the Rambam wrote: "I, Moshe bar Maimon the Dayan... began composing this commentary when I was twenty-three years old... and I was thirty years old which was the year 79 of the Era of Documents." The meaning of these words is that in year 1479 of the Era of Documents, corresponding to the year 4928 from Creation he was thirty years old, thus he was born in 4898. However, in a letter attributed to the Rambam's grandson, Rabbi David HaNagid, it is written that the Rambam was born about 3 years earlier, on 14th of Nissan 4895. The Rebbe simply established that the Rambam lived about seventy years and thus was born in 4895.

In 5746 the Rebbe spoke about how that year marked eight hundred and fifty years since the Rambam's birth, which is a specific and "round" number.

The Rebbe praised this matter of speaking about the Rambam, praising him and his seforim, and his being a great posek among Jews, and also great and a nasi among Jews which was his official title among Jews as he was rav of the communities in his place.

= The Rambam's Yahrtzeit =
20th of Teves is the day of the Rambam's passing.

In 5745 after returning from the Ohel, the Rebbe held a sudden farbrengen for the Rambam's yahrtzeit. At the farbrengen the Rebbe spoke about how the Rambam's matter is order and we need to learn from him to bring order into disorder.

In 5751 the Rebbe encouraged holding chassidic farbrengens on this day in every place.

The Rebbe commented near the Rambam's yahrtzeit regarding how Hashem completes and fills the days of tzaddikim from day to day: "And to note that the Rambam lived 70 years minus 83 days - 83 days between his passing on 20th of Teves and his birthday on Erev Pesach. And perhaps one could say that these 83 days were completed through the 83 halachos in Mishneh Torah (as the Rambam wrote at the end of his count of mitzvos according to the halachos in his sefer's introduction)."

= The Takanas Limud HaRambam =
On Acharon shel Pesach 5744 the Rebbe established three tracks for learning and completing the Rambam: A track of three chapters per day (in this track one completes the Rambam every eleven months), of one chapter per day (in this track one completes the Rambam every two years and ten months), and the Sefer HaMitzvos track (intended primarily for women and children), where the topics learned correspond to the topic discussed in the three chapters track.

One of the advantages of learning Rambam is that in learning Rambam until its completion one fulfills both parts of the mitzvah of Torah study: knowledge of Torah and study of Torah, because the Rambam encompasses all mitzvos and parts of Torah.

= The Rambam's Picture =
Over the years many claims and questions accumulated regarding the accepted picture of the Rambam - which was first circulated in 5504 as an ancient engraving, including several details that contradict halacha:

In the original pictures the Rambam is wearing non-Jewish clothing - which he himself forbade In the picture his peyos appear shaved with a razor - something he forbade in his sefer Additionally it was proven that the style of dress in the picture matches the Eastern style, common in Arab countries, while the Rambam lived primarily in Western countries, where the style of dress was different.

In a farbrengen of 11th of Nissan 5745 the Rebbe delivered a sicha in connection with the 850th year since the Rambam's birth. The Rebbe spoke about spreading the Rambam's image and his work and contribution to Jewish law and all humanity through conventions and printing stamps with the Rambam's picture and quotes from his words. Following this, the Rebbe noted that indeed there is doubt about the authenticity of the Rambam's picture, but since the picture brings to remembrance of the Rambam and following in his ways, this brings desired benefit, and one should practice this. In practice, due to concern for the halachic contradictions existing in the Rambam's picture, Chabad chassidim in publishing Rambam study cycles and their completion would specifically use a special picture that was corrected for this purpose.

= See Also =

* The Rambam's Birthday
* Mishneh Torah of the Rambam
* Takanas Limud HaRambam
* 20th of Teves
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