Customer Reviews:
A good introductory anthology .......2005-10-07
This anthology is a very good introduction to the thought of the Rambam. It contains large sections from the 'Mishneh Torah' and 'The Guide to the Perplexed'. It also contains explanatory notes which better help understand the texts.
For Rambam the highest aim of the religious life is attaining the intellectual love of God. He says in the 'Mishneh Torah' that when we perform certain precepts like putting on tefillin, or saying Shema we are helped in achieving the purpose of always loving God, and being ever mindful of Him.
Excellent Beginning.......2005-02-03
Not everyone wants to make an in depth study of one of the great minds of Judaism, but needs/wants an introduction.
This book supplies the need.
Excellent translation, nice selection of material, for breadth & depth. Not necessarily what a scholar or rabbinical student in the equivalent of a doctoral thesis defense will need, perhaps, but good for the informed layperson, or even most rabbis.
Indespensable , but insufficient.......2001-07-12
I agree witht the other reviewers that this book is the best 1-volume collection of the works of Maimonides. It is especially useful in that it does not only focus on the philosophical magnum opus "Guide of the Perplexed" , but also on the parts of the commentary on the mishnah, occasional letters and especially the legal code Mishneh Torah, of which Twersky brings extensive quotes. Twersky's great contribution to Maimonidean studies was to show how the legal works illustrate many of the religio-philosophical concerns which are reflected in the other works. However, in this anthology , the reader will find it difficult to distinguish between legal statements made by Maimonides as part of the Jewish legal tradition based on Talmudic statements, and texts which are clearly informed by his specific religious philsophy. Perhaps the anthology could have been annonated more fully, especially after Twersky's later book "Introduction to the Code of Maimonides" which devoted much space to that issue, appeared. Perhaps one of Twersky's students could try to produce a synthesis of the two books.
Surely the best book of its kind........1998-11-02
The late Isadore Twersky's Maimonides Reader remains the best of its sort. Maimonides was the most unique Jewish writer and thinker since Talmudic days. The scope of his writings and influence are immesurable. This book brings many of his writings to the English reader and does an admirable job at that.
The best introduction to Maimonides by a living legend.......1997-09-03
If you are interested in the thought of Moses Maimonides (1138-1204), Judaism's most profound and influential philosopher and one of the most important Medieval thinkers, this must be the place to begin. Professor Twersky of Harvard University, widely acknowledged as the living master of Maimonidean scholarship, has compiled a reader that simultaniously presents the pearls of Maimonidean wisdom (in excellent translation from Hebrew and Arabic) along with extremely readible prefaces and a fine biography and bibliography. Thousands of students of philosophy and religion (of all faiths and backgrounds) have been introduced to the works of Maimonides via Twersky's concise reader. Highly recommended for the scholar and the layperson alike
Average customer rating:
- A great guide to Dr. Rambam
- Fascinating brief introduction to an important thinker
- mr.
- Balancing faith and reason
- From Moses to Moses there was none like Moses
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Maimonides (Jewish Encounters)
Sherwin B. Nuland
Manufacturer: Schocken
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ASIN: 0805242007
Release Date: 2005-10-04 |
Book Description
Moses Maimonides was a Renaissance man before there was a Renaissance: a great physician who served a sultan, a dazzling Torah scholar, a community leader, a daring philosopher whose greatest work——The Guide for the Perplexed——attempted to reconcile scientific knowledge with faith in God. He was a Jew living in a Muslim world, a rationalist living in a time of superstition. Eight hundred years after his death, his notions about God, faith, the afterlife, and the Messiah still stir debate; his life as a physician still inspires; and the enigmas of his character still fascinate.
Sherwin B. Nuland——best-selling author of How We Die——focuses his surgeon’s eye and writer’s pen on this greatest of rabbis, most intriguing of Jewish philosophers, and most honored of Jewish doctors. He gives us a portrait of Maimonides that makes his life, his times, and his thought accessible to the general reader as they have never been before.
Customer Reviews:
A great guide to Dr. Rambam.......2007-08-22
The most interesting parts of this book focus on Maimonides the physician (as opposed to Maimonides the religious leader, where Nuland's discussion is a bit too sparse here and there). Maimonides (known to most Jews as Rambam) did not develop new medical knowledge, but wrote ten books synthesizing existing medical knowledge in a clear and concise way, and even occasionally criticizing the Greco-Roman masters whose works dominated medieval medicine. By the low standards of the Middle Ages, this passed for genius.
Nuland links Rambam's religious and medical careers by pointing out that in both areas, Rambam focused heavily on codifying existing knowledge in ways that would be easy for the public to use.
Nuland also engages in interesting speculation about a variety of other issues, including:
1. Why were Jews so likely to be doctors in the Middle Ages? Nuland asserts that (a) Christians were uninterested in medicine because they were more ascetic, (b) because priests could not take employment as doctors, the Christian talent pool for medicine was artificially diminished and (c) because Jews' wealth could easily be taken away, Jews had a strong incentive to seek portable skills (as opposed to investing in fixed assets such as land).
2. Why was Rambam so uninterested in accommodating or discussing competing religious views? Nuland speculates that because of Judaism's dire condition in those days (beset in persecution in some places and the temptation of assimilation into Islam in more tolerant places) Rambam may have felt the need to "circle the wagons" by encouraging as much uniformity as possible.
3. Why did Rambam (who generally opposed Messianic speculation) suggest in his letter to Yemenite Jews that prophecy might return in 1216? Nuland suggests that Rambam may have been trying to defang Messianic fever by setting a date so far in advance that he could not be disproven during his lifetime.
Fascinating brief introduction to an important thinker.......2007-06-22
Nuland has accomplished the difficult task of summarizing Maimonides' complex writings in a way that is accessible to the common reader. Nuland's style is clear and concise, and he obviously admires Maimonides as a sort of Renaissance man before the Renaissance. It is true that the book gives considerable attention to Maimonides' life as a physician, but as someone who has dipped a bit into Maimonides' writings on Jewish law and thought but knew little of his place in medical history, I didn't see that as a problem. In fact, I found that that made this book even more enlightening.
I could have used more discussion of the Guide to the Perplexed, however, beyond the notions that the book is difficult and that some see it as a hidden confession by Maimonides of his lack of belief (an unlikely hypothesis). The Guide is an extraordinarily fascinating book, from all I understand, and Nuland does not do it justice.
mr........2007-02-27
it shows you right way about life
i think it is possible to adopt it to today.
it was very interesting book for me.
it is the kind of book that i always enjoy reading
Balancing faith and reason.......2006-12-14
Dr. Nuland, himself a Jewish physician, was understandably reluctant to engage in doing the biography of perhaps the ultimate Jewish physician of all time: Moses Ben Maimon also referred to as Rambam or Maimonides.
His reluctance was understandable on a number of levels. First, Maimonides was of pronounced expertise in the healing arts. Not only the author of ten medical books, he had through dint of skill managed to elevate himself to being court physician at the court of Saladin.
Second, for Jewish thought (and derivatively for western thought itself) Maimonides was significant for his recognition of and attempt to deal with the conflict between the canonized precepts of faith and the unanswered questions of science. His "Guide for the Perplexed" itself perplexing is an attempt in some ways an attempt at striking a balance.
However, in both ways Nuland managed to briefly make the material accessible to the reader.
And significantly also, Nuland managed to connect the reader with Maimonides humanity...his early difficulties with learning, his grief at the loss of his brother and his joy in parenthood.
In this way, Nuland managed to create and even more iconic figure because rather than putting him a pedistal, Nuland put Maimonides right next to you...all the more human and therefore all the more relevant.
From Moses to Moses there was none like Moses .......2006-12-07
Sherwin B. Nuland opens this book by explaining how he finally came to after much discouragement write this book on the great Jewish thinker, halachist, communal leader and physician Moses Maimonedes, commonly known as the Rambam. Nuland's reluctance is understandable as he is not a scholar of Jewish texts, nor one deeply versed in Jewish thought. He is a prominent well- known highly esteemed physician and writer. And a good share of the book is devoted to understanding the Rambam as a physician. In the course of this Nuland provides a brief historical sketch of the development of Medicine from Galen to and through the Middle Ages. In the course of this he makes it clear that the Rambam was like all the great Medieval physicians not really a medical innovator. The Rambam was an extraordinarily dedicated physician whose observational powers were complemented by his vast knowledge of the extant medical literature. Nuland quotes the famous letter of the Rambam in which he details his exhausting schedule as physician including his work at Court and his work with the poorer Muslim population and with the Jewish community. Nuland also describes in some detail the medical writings of Rambam, including the Aphorisms and guidebooks which served a wider public to the dawn of the ear of Modern Medicine.
The Rambam turned to Medicine only after a great personal tragedy the loss at sea of his younger brother David. David had provided the material means for the Rambam to be totally devoted to scholarship. Rambam went into depression for over a year until finally emerging with the decision to practice medicine.
Nuland gives an excellent summary of the whole course of Rambam's life, including the childhood in Cordoba, the early years in Fez, the expulsions the Jewish community suffered, the forced conversion, and above all the genius which surfaced quite early. Rambam mastered whole worlds of Jewish texts , held them in his mind . And this enabled him to create his vast works of syncretic scholarship, most notably the work still studied and of great significance today , 'The Mishneh Torah'. Nuland provides a good understanding of the basic meaning of and history of 'The Mishnah Torah'. However in confronting Rambam's philosophical masterpiece "Guide to the Perplexed" Nuland is somewhat less understanding and appreciative.
In assessing Rambam's overall historical signifiance Nuland writes this telling analysis of why Rambam is held in such great importance by Jews to this very day.
" it is the iconic memory of a man whose life was devoted to the continuity of the Jewish people.
- From the letter to the Jews of Fez written when he was twenty- four years old , to his labors until the hour of his death as his community's acknowledged leader ,he devoted the totality of his prodigious talents to the preservation of the community of the Jews everywhere."
Book Description
Great classic of medieval Judaism, major attempt to reconcile revealed religion
— Pentateuch, commentaries — and Aristotelian philosophy. Enormously important in all Western thought. Includes Life of Maimonides, analysis of The Guide, indexes of quotations from Scripture, Talmud. Unabridged Friedlander translation. 50-page introduction. "...a great influence on Jewish and Christian scholasticism." — Jewish Civic Press.
Customer Reviews:
Typeface Small and Uncomfortable.......2007-05-14
My review and rating is restricted to a comment regarding the small typeface which makes this edition a difficult read. If an edition can be obtained with a larger typeface, I would recommend it, even at some additional expense.
(Aside from this comment regarding the typeface; obviously, Maimonides does not need my approbation.)
Guide for the Perplexed keeps on showing the way........2006-07-14
Yes, this is a true classic. Though there have been many works written since this jewel was first written, it still shines as a jewel in the crown of the Torah.
The translation may not be of the order of some of the more recent interpretations, yet it remains clear and lucid. There is littel interpolation in the translated text ( a difficult ask). This edition keeps the classic cover, and surely remains an essential component in any discerning thinkers library. Whether you are Jewish or not, this seminal text is one that can only benefit the thinking reader.
This edition has good, sturdy paper (ok, it is not parchment standard, but at this price, what more do you want?). Its binding is equal to much more expensive books, and its size ensures it will be used again and again.
Read and enjoy (even if you disagree with the text) and you will understand why "From Moses to Moses, there is no-one like Moses!"
Another Guide for the Perplexed.......2006-06-09
Maimonides offers an interesting perspective on the questions of theology. As told in the introduction, Maimonides rose from relative obscurity to a high level of academic merit very quickly due to his clear and distinct understanding and interpretations of the scripture. Indeed, his insights are what this book is all about. It is not an exhaustive study of all of the questions raised in the old testament, nor of other inquiries into the various properties of the divine, but it covers a lot. I found the text to be a little dry; not as captivating as a Platonic dialogue, but not as confusing as, say, one of Aristotle's essays. Were I to do it again, I might reconsider buying this edition because the type is quite small and Maimonides covers a lot of ground in little space, so I found my self using up the margins while trying to keep up with his thoughts. One of the nice things about this edition, however, is that it is in one volume, the entire guide to the perplexed. I found other editions, with larger print and such, but nothing besides this has the complete text. Moreover, it's cheaper than everything else I found! The translation is descent to good. It was done in the late 19th century, so you might say that it's a little dated, but it doesn't effect your reading. I read this book during a college seminar at St. John's, if you were wondering why I would have read this thing in the first palce. Speaking of which, I don't know if I'll ever really read this book again. This may be an important point, because while owning a book means you can do with it as you please, if you don't read it again, then it's just dead weight.
A Difficult and Perplexing Work.......2005-09-21
An excellent work by a late medieval Jewish theologian/metaphysicist (a contemporary of Aquinas) who presents and breaks down the metaphysical arguments of the day for the existence of God, a God-created universe, and the interpretation of the Torah in regard to these topics. He examines the Aristotelian arguments supporting the eternal existence of the Universe and determines whether or not they are supported by Scripture and logical analysis. Our contemporary physicists could use his methods to uncover logical flaws in their theories about the ultimate origins of the Universe. He finishes the text with a treatise on Scripture and the perfection of Man. A must read along with the works of Augustine and Aquinas, and for that matter, any modern work on the ultimate nature of Nature.
rac
very dense and perhaps not the ideal translation . . . .......2004-09-05
as other reviewers pointed out. But even so I got something out of it - especially at the beginning (where Maimonides attacks simple-minded literalism) and the end (where Maimonides tries to justify the mitzvot). I'm sure that in a few years when I am a bit more intellectually sophisticated, I will get more out of it.
One really interesting part of the book that none of the other reviewers has mentioned so far: Maimonides' explanation of divine intervention in our lives. He asserts, based on Torah, that such Divine intervention affects humans but not animals (Part III, Ch. 17). Why? Because "Divine Providence is connected with Divine intellectual influence, and the same beings which are benefited by the latter so as to become intellectual, and to comprehend things comprehensible to rational beings, are also under the control of Divine Providence." (Id.) And given that Divine Providence is connected with intellect, it further follows that "the greater the share which a person has obtained of this Divine influence ... the greater must also be the effect of Divine Providence upon him." (Id., Ch. 18). Thus, "the greater the human perfection a person has attained, the greater the benefit he derives from Divine Providence." (Id.) In other words, if you are Abraham or Moses, you get plenty of divine influence in your life. For the rest of us, the world takes its natural course.
It seems to me that this theory allows us to reconcile Biblical miracles with the day-to-day reality of bad things happening to good people and vice versa: perhaps prophets get individualized reward and punishment in this world, and the rest of us don't. (Caveat: I am NOT saying that this view is factually correct, or even that Maimonides endorses this view; it is not clear to me how spiritually elevated Maimonides thinks one has to be to receive Divine intervention- whether only Moses, Abraham, etc. get it, or whether ordinary good and intelligent people get it as well, or whether he would draw the line someplace in between).
Book Description
Moses ben Maimon, known to English speaking audiences as Maimonides (1138-1204), represents the high point of Jewish rationalism in the middle ages and played a pivotal role in the transition of philosophical interest from the Islamic East to the Christian West. His greatest philosophical work, The Guide of the Perplexed had a decisive impact on all subsequent Jewish thought and is still the subject of intense scholarly debate. The twelve essays in this volume by recognized scholars offer a comprehensive interpretation of his life and thought.
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- Mr. Way Too Quickly
- Contra the Neo-Cons...
- Who knew this book could say all this?
- An excellent source for readers of philosophy
- How to write between the lines
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Persecution and the Art of Writing
Leo Strauss
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
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ASIN: 0226777111 |
Book Description
The essays collected in Persecution and the Art of Writing all deal with one problem—the relation between philosophy and politics. Here, Strauss sets forth the thesis that many philosophers, especially political philosophers, have reacted to the threat of persecution by disguising their most controversial and heterodox ideas.
Customer Reviews:
Mr. Way Too Quickly.......2006-01-12
Mr. Quickly (see review below) is either a prankster or an idiot. He has confused the philosopher, Leo Strauss, with the composer Richard Strauss.
But his review was good for a laugh, at least.
Contra the Neo-Cons..........2004-12-05
Now that certain of his followers have risen to such unpredictably high prominence and stuck around, Leo Strauss is getting more attention. This is good. Strauss is a good reader of good books (esp. Spinoza and Aristophanes), but his legacy is more ambivalent than one might expect. He is more than simply the intellectual architect behind Reaganism. Here are some observations that give an idea of what I mean in Persecution and the Art of Writing:
First, something to like about Strauss: He proceeds from the beginning of this study with the assumption that knowledge has a social basis, that social factors produce "truth." This position actually puts Strauss much closer to Foucault, the Frankfurt School, and the Cultural Studies crowd than to, say, Paul Wolfowitz and others who seek to engineer social circumstances by force if necesary to meet their proclaimed truths; thus, "freedom" must be "spread" to Iraq. Strauss was not stupid, like these saps. (We'll leave non-Senator Alan Keyes out of this.)
In fact, Strauss saw the right-wing shouters and their exercise of free speech at the expense of everyone else's coming: "What is called freedom of thought...for all practical purposes consists of--the ability to choose between two or more different views presented by the small minority of people who are public speakers or writers." (23). Nuance be damned. "We made the right decision on Iraq." "Ignorance is strength..."
Second, a disturbing view. Strauss assumes that the suppression of ideas by those in power and the persecution of dissenters and intellectuals is okay. Why? "Persecution...cannot prevent independent thinking. It cannnot prevent even the expression of independent thought" (23), never mind that this contradicts the statement Strauss makes above that independent thinking doesn't really exist anyway unless you have an AM talk radio show. Strauss's thesis: "Persecution cannot prevent even public expression of the heterodox truth, for a man of independent thought can utter his views in public and remain unharmed, provided he moves with circumspection. He can even utter them in print without incurring any danger, provided he is capable of writing between the lines" (24). What follows from this? Because the savvy socialist can write allegorically, then, it's alright to oppress socialists, or feminists, or any other kind of grownup. One can also argue from Strauss that religious minorities may also be persecuted, since they ought to find a way to "behave" between the lines. This is disgusting, obviously.
History teaches us the danger inherent in this attitude. The case of Walter Benjamin is a good place to start inquiring, if you're interested. I'd rather find a way to do without persecution at all. A more productive vision might be: Free Inquiry and the Art of Listening.
May Allegory Strike Back, and "fit audience find, though few."
Who knew this book could say all this?.......2002-05-18
I bought PERSECUTION AND THE ART OF WRITING because I wanted an easy approach to whatever contribution Leo Strauss might be able to make to the understanding of political philosophy, and the idea that writers might be persecuted is fundamental to my understanding of what separates social thinking from what a philosopher might be capable of. The second chapter, which covers the topic "Persecution and the art of writing," is only from page 22 to page37 of this book. The Introduction attempts to provide a basis for understanding all the essays in this book "within the province of the sociology of knowledge." (p. 7). The final chapter, "How to Study Spinoza's THEOLOGICO-POLITICAL TREATISE," is the culmination of a series of articles, which first appeared in 1941, 1943, and 1948, that is primarily concerned with understanding the works of a few philosophers in a manner which might be helpful "for a future sociology of philosophy." (p. 7).
The particular work of Spinoza discussed was an attempt "to refute the claims which had been raised on behalf of revelation throughout the ages." (p. 142). Studying the Treatise is primarily philosophical because "the issue raised by the conflicting claims of philosophy and revelation is discussed in our time on a decidedly lower level than was almost customary in former ages." (pp. 142-3). Later it is admitted that Spinoza's own age did not have Spinoza's books to discuss. "The only book which he published under his own name is devoted to the philosophy of Descartes." (p. 152). "But Spinoza, who wrote for posterity rather than for his contemporaries, must have realized that the day would come when his own books would be old books." (p. 153). My own understanding of Spinoza is not helped by the fact that the longest quotations, in note 2 on page 143 and note 19 on page 153, are in latin. Note 13 on page 149 quotes Carl Gebhardt (Spinoza. OPERA, vol. II, p. 317) in German. I thought I was going to be able to understand it best when Strauss wrote, "To ascertain how to read Spinoza, we shall do well to cast a glance at his rules for reading the Bible." (p. 144). Philosophy itself might demand that the most modern conclusion on that effort would be: "For the same reason it is impossible to understand the Biblical authors as they understood themselves; every attempt to understand the Bible is of necessity an attempt to understand its authors better than they understood themselves." (p. 148). In the case of the Bible, the idea of revelation offers the consolation to people who never wanted to be considered its authors that the book was written by someone else, as the angel who dictated the Koran to its prophet is the ultimate target of the book THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie in the most modern comic edition of this conflict. The only escapes which Spinoza would offer is "to potential philosophers, i.e., to men who, at least in the early stages of their training, are deeply imbued with the vulgar prejudices: what Spinoza considers the basic prejudice of those potential philosophers whom he addresses in the Treatise, is merely a special form of the basic prejudice of the vulgar mind in general." (p. 184). Given the facts of life for most people, this seems to be particularly bad news for the political, which could use a few intellectual connections.
An excellent source for readers of philosophy.......2000-10-25
An excellent text, Strauss explicates on his views of how philosophers in times of persecution will "hide" their most stunning and important ideas "between the lines" of their works. In this way, the authors avoid death, and also provide the deepest insight to only those intelligent enough to find it in the texts. Pay special attention to Strauss's chapter on the "Guide for the Perplexed:" not only is it an interesting read, but one can see Strauss himself using some of the same techniques that he claims authors of the past used. It's all a matter of trying to understand what he truly wants to tell us.
How to write between the lines.......2000-06-16
The title essay is a masterpiece I read once a month in the course writing journalism by day and reading of political comedy by night. By day it is extremely helpful keeping my job in a political environment not particularly conducive to complete freedom of expression at times. By night, coupled with Strauss's superb "Socrates and Aristophanes" is has proved a wonderful tool for unveiling meaning in Aristophanes, Rabelais, Cervantes, Sterne, Hasek, Garcia-Marquez, Kundera and the rest of the European comic tradition. I think his idea of a literary criticism "between the lines" based on ancient rhetoricians would be an extremely useful study for younger graduate students to follow - whenever such studies become possible again. The rest of the essays apply the theory of reading between the lines in interesting limit cases of persecution of political philosophy. They may lead the general reader to try such authors as Maimonides and Spinoza. Can't speak for specialists, not being one.
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Maimonides and St. Thomas on the Limits of Reason (Suny Series in Philosophy)
Idit Dobbs-Weinstein
Manufacturer: State University of New York Press
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ASIN: 0791424162 |
Book Description
This book shows that Maimonides and St. Thomas reached strikingly similar conclusions regarding the limits of reason and that these limits, in turn, show the dimensions of philosophical understanding.
Through a comparative philosophical examination of the diverse aporiae constituting the question of "providence," the author seeks to determine the degree of philosophical compatibility between Maimonides and St. Thomas Aquinas, and where disagreement is evident, its origin, nature and philosophical consequences. Dobbs-Weinstein retrieves some occluded aspects of their thought that render a better understanding of each thinker and provide a richer philosophical vocabulary for discussions of the limits of "reason," the consequent inevitable limits of language and interpretation and, above all, the relation between knowing and acting.
This study also shows how and why, despite the fact that they adopt some radically different ontological principles, Maimonides and Aquinas reach strikingly similar conclusions concerning the existential dimensions of human life, especially the possibilities and modes of knowledge and the actions consequent upon them.
Book Description
Maimonides, one of the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism, was a prolific author of influential Arabic philosophical and medical treatises and two of the most important works on Jewish law. Medical Aphorisms is the best known and most comprehensive of his works, and Gerrit Bos offers here a masterful English translation with detailed annotations.
Medical Aphorisms consists of approximately 1500 maxims compiled by Maimonides from the treatises of Galen, the renowned ancient Greek physician. Maimonides arranges the aphorisms into twenty-five treatises, organizing them by traditional medieval subspecialties such as gynecology, hygiene, and diet. He also includes a section examining unusual cases from Galen and offers a critical analysis of Galen’s theories.
The first of six volumes, Medical Aphorisms provides tantalizing insights into the work of Galen, as it draws on treatises of Galen that no longer exist and shines a light into the world of medieval and ancient medicine. It will be a rich and valuable resource for students and scholars working in the history of medicine, Jewish studies, and medieval Arabic culture.
Average customer rating:
- A clear guide to contemporary difficult questions
- Monument of rabbinical exegis and not a philosophical treatise
- Less perplexed, more questions
- A Great Way In To A Great Book
- I would like to correspond with other readers of "Guide"
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The Guide of the Perplexed
Moses Maimonides
Manufacturer: Hackett Publishing Company
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Ethical Writings of Maimonides
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The Guide for the Perplexed
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Maimonides Reader
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The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 2
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The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, Vol. 1
ASIN: 0872203247 |
Book Description
This monument of rabbinical exegesis written at the end of the twelfth century has exerted an immense and continuing influence upon Jewish thought. Its aim is to liberate people from the tormenting perplexities arising from their understanding of the Bible according only to its literal meaning. This edition contains extensive introductions by Shlomo Pines and Leo Strauss, a leading authority on Maimonides.
Customer Reviews:
A clear guide to contemporary difficult questions.......2007-03-09
I found this book clear and directly related to questions that perplexed me. Often Maimonides' answers are more clear and direct than anything I ever heared. I was most impressed by his explanation for the original sin and for Adam expulsion from paradise. Of course, it had nothing to do with sex. The sin was in that God gave the mind to Adam to think for himself. But thinking is too hard. Adam refused to think. Instead he ate from the tree of knowledge, that is he acquired "shortcuts," "rules of thumb," ready made rules accumulated in culture throughout millenia. These rules are sound and safe, but it is not the ultimate demand of God. In contemporary science language, Adam refused to think by using his cortex (contemporary part of the brain), instead, he learned to use primitive emotions involving amigdala (ancient part of the brain).
Monument of rabbinical exegis and not a philosophical treatise.......2006-06-30
The appreciation of the book will depend greatly on your level of comfort with the rabbinical view. If you seek a philosophical approach you might be better of with Aristotle and modern science, and if you are interested in rabbinical exegis then go to the source and study the Talmud and other works. Maimonides possesses immense authority and is distanced from us by many centuries. He gives invaluable insight into certain issues but at the same time creates or entrenches other fundamental perplexities open to debate or critique. The introduction will serve the reader well especially on the author's contemporaries. Buy both volumes as the second and the third part of total three parts of the Guide are in the second volume.
Igor Karpov, Toronto,Canada
igorkarpov at rogers dot com
Less perplexed, more questions.......2006-06-03
Vol. I, part 1
The "guide" is a key to unlock doors (why would this be so hidden from us?). "This will be a key permitting one to enter places the gates to which were locked." All difficulties will not be removed though. The "guide" will help clear doubt and difficulty with bible passages, help us discern between the literal and the figurative, and help in finding the meaning in the parables.
I am now less perplexed, although have more questions. Maimonides, through his great mind, takes us into a spiritual journey of the Old Testament. Bringing forth his and the Sages interpretation of the intentions behind the bibles original early writings; it's prophetic revelation. Moses was a Jew who lived in the twelfth century. I presume he was considered one of the Sages, (men of knowledge; clarify all that is obscure) for he refers to them often. He also compares Aristotle's thinking amidst certain chapters. But he allows himself to fall into Aristotle's and other philosopher's world views. This wonderful book cannot be just read, for it demands study to be fully absorbed.
I read volume II first; this can be done, but I don't recommend it. A large part of this book is donated to "how to use the guide" and Maimonides philosophic influences. The book is divided into seventy-six short progressing chapters. Each one blends well into the next, ensuring he is well understood. This is the newest translation. It helps correct the Aramaic and Hebrew verses wrongly translated by others. Not a book written by a philosopher-but "a Jewish book written by a Jew for Jews"; for the two are not compatible. The "guide" is donated to understanding the "secrets of the Law": Secret teaching for the elite, public teaching for the vulgar (ignorant); so like the bible, the "guide" is meant for beginners and expert (more so) alike. The "guide" liberates us from the perplexities of understanding the bible only according to its literal meaning.
Moses' deliberate learned self-contradiction may seam to disrupt the flow; it does not. Paganism, magic, and superstitions must be removed, allowing for real scientific knowledge. At times he goes off on tangents, after misdirecting us, then eventually gets back on track. I find him to be not always forthright. He was just a man--an amazing man.
Vol. II, part 2 and 3
The book is divided into fifty four short progressing chapters. Each one blends well into the next, making sure he is well understood. Some major areas that are dwelt upon: The spheres, forces, motion, matter, governance, world created in time; Angels; overflow; eternity of the world; prophets; Will; Idolatry; providence; Evil; Laws; perfection; wisdom...
God is very near to everyone who calls,
If he calls truly and has no distractions;
He is found by every seeker who searches for Him,
If he marches toward Him and goes not astray.
Wish you well
Scott
A Great Way In To A Great Book.......2003-11-24
Since Amazon is lumping reviews of all 'Guide' translations together, this one is of the Guttman/Rabin translation/abridgement published by Hackett. To me, it might be called a godsend, since I first tried a headlong assault on an unabridged version, which quickly wore me down with its endless examples of words with multple senses and anthropomorphic references to God. Where's the beef? I wondered. This edition gets the novice reader straight to the meaty matters Maimonides considers, such as whether the universe was created or not, what the nature of prophecy is, what can be understood or even said about God, how the Bible can be reconciled to philosophy, and how traditional practices are to be viewed. His answers won't satisfy fundamentalists, either Jewish or Christian, but his discussion is always challenging, and mostly clear-minded (he lost me with many of his thoughts on the spheres, since in this area he was manifestly out of his depth). This abridgement is about 1/4 of the original, but the arrangement has a good, logical flow. The 1940's-early 50's translation is very readable, though the scriptural quotes leave something to be desired in the clear, modern English department. One additional factor that jumps out at me from the text is the sheer force of Maimonides personality. (I have the feeling he wouldn't approve of me studying him, but his work may yet have a salutary effect on my life, reluctant as he would have been to teach someone like me!) Be prepared to meet a great man.
I would like to correspond with other readers of "Guide".......2003-05-15
Rambam knocks me over. This is an amazing work. This is one of the most important books in any language. This translation by Pines is excellent, clear, simple, unobtrusive, and has just the right small amount of clarifying notes.
The Guide clearly should be studied with others. I would like to discuss each chapter with other people as we read (and maybe re-read) them. My email address is my firstnamelastname at yahoo dot com.
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Prophetic Inspiration After the Prophets: Maimonides and Other Medieval Authorities
Abraham Joshua Heschel , and
Morris M. Faierstein
Manufacturer: Ktav Publishing House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Maimonides
ASIN: 0881253464 |
Customer Reviews:
a tremendously interesting book .......2005-08-28
Maimonides asserted that anyone who rejected his Thirteen Principles was a heretic who has removed himself from the Jewish people- yet most of these Principles were at one time or another rejected by leading rabbis both before and after Maimonides.
For example, Shapiro writes that even the view that "the Torah in our hands is exactly the same as the Torah that Moses presented to the Children of Israel" has been widely disputed. To be sure, pre-Reform Jews universally accepted the Torah as Divine and as roughly the same as the original text. But Shapiro asserts that historically there have been minor deviations in Torah scrolls, and that even today nine letters in Yemenite Torahs differ from those in those used by the rest of Jewry. Shapiro also cites numerous medieval commentators' assertions that some non-halakhic portions of the Torah, although true and divinely inspired, were written by Joshua or Ezra rather than Moses.
Shapiro also asserts that some of the Principles were arguably contradicted even by Maimonides' own later writings.
A minor quibble: Shapiro's discussion would have been clearer if he had put Maimonides' own language in his book as an appendix.
Believe This.......2004-03-01
There are those for whom their belief in religion will never quite approach their scholarly understanding of it. But the opposite is probably more prevalent. Many more people sincerely profess faith but are ignorant of the knowledge that should necessarily underpin such faith.
It is to this latter group that Marc Shapiro is addressing himself in his book, traditional Jews who might know halakha but who are otherwise ignorant of what their great spiritual giants believed for millennia. Many of the beliefs espoused by these great men run counter to the Thirteen Principles set down by Maimonides (some disagreements extending into the present!), a situation that, ostensibly, should have prevented them from an afterlife and which would have excised their souls from the Jewish nation.
Besides proving his point exhaustively, Dr. Shapiro is presenting a fine intellectual history of Jewish thought from the vantage point of its outer limits. The appendix even includes pictures of God on the title pages of sacred books written in the past few hundred years!
There is no doubt that this book, based on a controversial and satisfyingly unsettling essay that Shapiro penned just a few years ago, will both elicit praise and scorn, the scorn manifesting itself in book bannings and in the hiring of scholarly mercenaries who will be asked to trash the book, site unseen, in predetermined reviews.
Well, these reviewers will have their work cut out for them because Shapiro's book is thoughtful and nuanced and, thereby, evades pigeon holing. Besides addressing out-and-out disagreements that people had regarding creed, there is the bigger problem of Maimonides contradicting himself in matters of belief, both within different contexts and at different times in his life.
Shapiro also notes at length the recognized yet endlessly ironic fact that Maimonides himself was accused of not believing in his own Principles both during his lifetime and afterward.
Most importantly, by invoking an authority no less central than Maimonides himself, Shapiro debunks the notion, embraced by some writers, that scholarly debate concerning the correctness of doctrine is a relic of the past, and that this pursuit of the truth has calcified into unwavering dogma.
The historical realities are to the contrary. The search for what believers are supposed to believe is still driven by studying sacred texts, by our logic and, to some degree, by our intuitions.
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The Guide of the Perplexed
