The Rambam: Difference between revisions

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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

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 was born on 14th of Nissan in the year 4895.

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.

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

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)."

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.

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 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.