"Maimonides: Life and Thought by Moshe Halbertal is an excellent introduction into the life and work ofMaimonides (1135 – 1204 CE) -the great Jewish philosopher and scholar of the medieval period. The book opens with a brief biography of Maimonides and then delves into the context and meaning of his writings, including the Commentary on the Mishnah, Mishneh Torah, and The Guide to the Perplexed. Author Moshe Halbertal provides a very interesting portrait of Maimonides culled from Maimonides’s actual letters sent to fellow scholars and students; letters which detail his contemporaries’ responses to his monumental religious and literary achievements. Mr. Halbertal also examines Maimonides’ own views on topics such as the meaning of the commandments, creation and nature, prophecy, etc. The portrait that emerges from Halbertal’s examination of Maimonides is that of a brilliant scholar, independently minded, at odds with the religious thought of his day. Nevertheless, his impact was felt on Judaism and continued to the generations that followed."
Publisher Princeton University Press
Publication Date 2013-11-21
Section Judaica / All Staff Suggestions / Nonfiction Suggestions
Format Hardcover
ISBN 9780691158518
A comprehensive and accessible account of the life and thought of Judaism's most celebrated philosopher
Maimonides was the greatest Jewish philosopher and legal scholar of the medieval period, a towering figure who has had a profound and lasting influence on Jewish law, philosophy, and religious consciousness. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to his life and work, revealing how his philosophical sensibility and outlook informed his interpretation of Jewish tradition.
Moshe Halbertal vividly describes Maimonides's childhood in Muslim Spain, his family's flight to North Africa to escape persecution, and their eventual resettling in Egypt. He draws on Maimonides's letters and the testimonies of his contemporaries, both Muslims and Jews, to offer new insights into his personality and the circumstances that shaped his thinking. Halbertal then turns to Maimonides's legal and philosophical work, analyzing his three great books―Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah, and the Guide of the Perplexed. He discusses Maimonides's battle against all attempts to personify God, his conviction that God's presence in the world is mediated through the natural order rather than through miracles, and his locating of philosophy and science at the summit of the religious life of Torah. Halbertal examines Maimonides's philosophical positions on fundamental questions such as the nature and limits of religious language, creation and nature, prophecy, providence, the problem of evil, and the meaning of the commandments.
A stunning achievement, Maimonides offers an unparalleled look at the life and thought of this important Jewish philosopher, scholar, and theologian.
