Judaism Flashcards
Moses ben Maimonides was
a 12th century physician, philosopher and Rabi whose impact on Judaism through controversial in his own lifetime is today regard by many jews as the most transformative influence since the exodus
A refugee of the Almohade Muslim conquerors of his native Spain. Maimonides fled with his family to North Africa rather than to submit to conversion or imprisonment. After almost 20 years on the move Maimonides settled in Egypt where he was appointed to the position of
Nagid (chief of all Jewish communities in Egypt). He held this office until he died.
Explain the contribution to the development and expression of Judaism of Moses Maimonides
Maimonides composed works of Jewish scholarship, rabbinic law, philosophy, and medical texts. Some were
- Commentary on the Mishnah
- The Mishneh Torah
- Guide for the Perplexed.
Commentary on the Mishnah
- The Mishnah (also Mishneh) is a compilation of the Oral Law recorded by Rabbi Judah around 200 CE and organised around the six orders formulated by Rabbi Hillel 200 years earlier.
- Published in 1168.
- For thousands of years people of Israel had lived with the law of Moses which was revealed in the 5 scrolls of the Torah
- He made it accessible so it would be more widely read. He created a guide to living that could be read and understood by ordinary Jews without the need for detailed study or expert guidance
Thirteen Articles of Faith- (in the commentary)
In his commentary on chapter 10 of the Mishnah, Maimonides claimed what he considered to be the most important beliefs of Judaism
Mishneh Torah
- Code of laws- classifies mitzvot and commentates on them
- Concerned with theological issues: Insist on the infinite essence of God, Worshiping of God should not be tied to an anticipation of reward or fear, Studying physics and metaphysics does not give you a perfect understanding of God but it allows you to get closer as it gives clues of the knowledge of the divine, All laws have a rational purpose
- Still studied by Jewish scholars today.
- provided people some to read code of laws instead of reading the Torah and for the uneducated, poor still have access to Judaism- makes religion stronger
- Tzedakah- One of the sections of the Mishneh Torah deals with tzedakah, or acts of charity. Maimonides presented eight levels of charitable giving.
Guide for the Perplexed
The Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides attempted to resolve the seeming contradictions between philosophy and religion. He made a major contribution to the interpretation of Judaism by accommodating science and philosophy.
- Explains Jewish philosophy to the World
- Dissertations on medical topics
Analyse the impact of this person
Controversial Figure
Celebrated Scholar of the Jewish Faith
Hasidic Judaism
When Maimondies died
- When he died the Egyptian Jews observed three full days of mourning and applied to his death the biblical verse “The ark of the Lord has been taken” 1 Sam 4:11
HASIDIC JUDAISM- The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, called for an innovative addition to the daily study schedule of every Jewish man, woman and child. He suggested that everyone study a portion of Maimonides’ compendium of Jewish law. (quotes)
“The Rebbe brought Maimonides back from being a book for scholars to being a book for the masses to study from.” -chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef,
Source of Jewish Eithics
- The Halachah – Commandment of the Torah
- The Prophetic Vision o Gemilut Chassidim- loving-kindness o Tikkun Olam- repairing the world o Tzedakah- social justice - The Book of Proverbs o Collection of moral and philosophical saying based of human experience provides a framework
Jewish Denomination
- Orthodox – most flexible
- Reform- modified or abandoned some traditional aspects of Jewish beliefs
- Conservative- preserves tradition
- The Jewish view is that everything belongs to
God. We are to be stewards of the earth, to see that its produce is available for all God’s children. Property is a sacred trust given by God; people have custodial care of the earth, as opposed to ownership. Even the produce of the field does not belong solely to the person who farms the land.
Judaism asserts that there is one God who created the entire earth as
a unity, in ecological balance, and that everything is connected to everything else.
Jewish Ethical teachings on the environment
The Shemita
Tikkun Olam
Mitzvot of Bal Tashchit
The Shemita
- As a reminder that “the earth is the Lord’s, the land must be permitted to rest and lie fallow every seven years (the sabbatical year)
- Included in the book of Leviticus is the commandment to keep every seventh year as a period of rest for the land. Observing this Sabbath year allows for the land to be replenished and the soil to be nourished by the fallen crops of previous years so that it can continue to be fruitful.
‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the Lord.
Tikkun Olam
- A jewish concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world. The phrase is found in the Mishnah, a body of classical rabbinic teachings.
- ‘repair the world’ is a mystic teaching from Kabbalah-human being are involved in bringing God’s creation to full completion. It is up to every person to contribute to Tikkun (spiritual movement whereby the world is restored to God) by performing the required Mitzvot.
- When all people have contributed to Tikkun Olam, the world will be restored to its original state of harmony and the Messianic age will come
