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."

The 13 principles of faith

See also the main article Jewish principles of faith

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In his commentary on the Mishna (tractate Sanhedrin, chapter 10), Maimonides formulates his 13 principles of faith. They described his views on:

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• The existence of God
• God's unity
• God's spirituality and incorporeality
• God's eternity
• God alone should be the object of worship
• Revelation through God's prophets
• The preeminence of Moses among the prophets
• God's law given on Mount Sinai
• The immutability of the Torah as God's Law
• God's foreknowledge of human actions
• Reward of good and retribution of evil
• The coming of the Jewish Messiah
• The resurrection of the dead

These principles were controversial when first proposed, evoking criticism by Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo, and were effectively ignored by much of the Jewish community for the next few centuries. ("Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought", Menachem Kellner). However, two poetic restatements of these principles (Ani Ma'amin and Yigdal) eventually became canonized in the siddur (Jewish prayer book), and these principles became widely held. Today most of Orthodox Judaism holds these beliefs to be obligatory.

Related Topics:
Hasdai Crescas - Joseph Albo - Siddur - Orthodox Judaism

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