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Concept
Maimonides
Summary
Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (maɪˈmɒnɪdiːz) and also referred to by the acronym Rambam (רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also a preeminent astronomer and physician, serving as the personal physician of Saladin. Born in Córdoba within the Almoravid Empire (present-day Spain), on Passover eve, 1138 (or 1135), he worked as a rabbi, physician and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt.
During his lifetime, most Jews greeted Maimonides' writings on Jewish law and ethics with acclaim and gratitude, even as far away as Iraq and Yemen. Yet, while Maimonides rose to become the revered head of the Jewish community in Egypt, his writings also had vociferous critics, particularly in Spain. He died in Fustat, Egypt and was buried in Tiberias, according to Jewish tradition. The Tomb of Maimonides, one possible site of his burial, is a popular pilgrimage and tourist site.
He was posthumously acknowledged as one of the foremost rabbinic decisors and philosophers in Jewish history, and his copious work comprises a cornerstone of Jewish scholarship. His fourteen-volume Mishneh Torah still carries significant canonical authority as a codification of Halacha. He is sometimes known as הנשר הגדול ("haNesher haGadol" The Great Eagle).
Aside from being revered by Jewish historians, Maimonides also figures very prominently in the history of Islamic and Arab sciences and he is mentioned extensively in studies. Influenced by Aristotle, Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, and his contemporary Ibn Rushd, he became a prominent philosopher and polymath in both the Jewish and Islamic worlds.
Maimonides referred to himself as "Moses, son of Rabbi Maimon the Spaniard" (משה ברבי מימון הספרדי). In Medieval Hebrew he was usually called ר"ם, short for "our Rabbi Moshe", but mostly he is called רמב"ם, short for "our Rabbi, Moshe son of Maimon" and pronounced Rambam.
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