SOR1: Moses Maimonides - Mishneh Torah
Table of Contents
What is it?
- Codification of Jewish Law
- Grouping/re-organising of the Mitvot by category
Purpose
- To make Jewish law more accessible
Language: Hebrew
Audience:
- Rabbis
- Scholars
- Talmudists
- Jewish leaders
Contents
- Not written for everyday Jews: designed for religious leaders to easily disseminate information to the wider community
- Seen as innovative because it did not follow the order of the TaNaKh
- Categorised in order to make it relevant and applicable for intended audience
- For example, the Sefer Nashim (Book of Women) contains moral laws about marriage, divorce and family law
- 14 Volumes (books)
- IMPACT: By improving access to and understanding of the Mitzvot, Jews were more able to apply the Mitzvot
Quotes
"The Shema is read twice a day - in the evening and in the morning, as it is said 'and when thou liest down and when thou risest up'." - Mishneh Torah 1:1, Reading the Shema
- Book: Yesodeh ha-Torah (Foundations of the Torah)
Impact
- Unified the Jewish community by making understanding the text more accessible
- Helped resolve conflict between cultures and dialects by making updated and accessible texts
Moses Maimonides Series
