Maimonides, Moses (1138–1204). Also known as RaMBaM (Rabbi Moses
ben Maimon); born in Spain and lived in Egypt. Maimonides was a doctor to the
sultan and for the Jewish community of Fostat, Old Cairo. His two greatest
works are the Mishneh Torah (1180), a comprehensive summation of Rabbinic law,
and the Guide of the Perplexed (1190), a text that brings together Rabbinic
Judaism and Aristotelian philosophy. Maimonides was a controversial writer, and
the true meaning of his Guide is still hotly debated. Maimonides’s influence on
both the development of halachah and Jewish philosophy cannot be overestimated.
Although it is possible to disagree with the RaMBaM, one cannot ignore him.
Courtesy: Professor Shai Cherry
