Maimonides

Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Hebrew: ??? ??? ?? ??????; Arabic: Mussa bin Maimun ibn Abdallah al-Kurtubi al-Israili; March 30, 1135—December 13, 1204), commonly known by his Greek name (Moses) Maimonides, was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher. Many Jewish works refer to him by the acronym of his title and name, RaMBaM (????"? in Hebrew). As such, he is frequently referred to as "the Rambam". His Greek appellation means "Son of Maimon," and is a literal rendition of "ben Maimon."

Halakhic works

See also Mishneh Torah on his influence in halakha

Related Topics:
Mishneh Torah - Halakha

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With Mishneh Torah, Maimonides composed a code of Jewish law with the widest possible scope and depth. The work gathers all the binding laws from the Talmud and incorporates the positions of the Geonim (post-Talmudic early Medieval scholars, mainly from Mesopotamia). It is a highly systematised work and employs a very clear Hebrew reminiscent of the style of the Mishna.

Related Topics:
Talmud - Geonim - Mishna

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While Mishneh Torah is now considered the forerunner of the Arbaah Turim and the Shulkhan Arukh, two later codes, it met initially with a lot of opposition. There were two main reasons for this opposition. Firstly, Maimonides had refrained from adding references to his work for brevity. Secondly, in the introduction, he gave the impression of wanting to "cut out" study of the Talmud to arrive at a conclusion in Jewish law. His most forceful opponents were the rabbis of the Provence (Southern France), and a running critique by Rabbi Abraham ibn Daud (Raavad III) is printed in virtually all editions of Misheh Torah.

Related Topics:
Arbaah Turim - Shulkhan Arukh - Provence - Abraham ibn Daud

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