Abstract
Maimonides' words at the end of the "Book of Service" concerning the reasons for the sacrifices were generally interpreted as expressing a naive traditional notion, which stands in a sharp contrast to his philosophical stance in The Guide of the Perplexed. This paper offers a new analysis of the given paragraph, which, among other things, elucidates the original version of this paragraph. It turns out that Maimonides' works are grounded in Mishne Torah, where the radical stance of the author of The Guide is rather prominent. In this way, light is shed on other paragraphs of Mishne Torah dealing with the grounds of the Commandments, which are in line with the approach misplayed in The Guide. Thus, precisely in one of the most striking tension-points of Maimonides' teaching, there emerges a fundamental unity between his halakhic writing and his philosophical thought.
Translated title of the contribution | On the Question of Unity in Maimonides' Thought |
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Original language | Hebrew |
Pages (from-to) | 37-51 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Daat: A Journal of Jewish Philosophy & Kabbalah |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 37 |
State | Published - 1996 |
IHP Publications
- ihp
- Maimonides, Moses -- 1135-1204
- משה בן מימון -- 1138-1204