Moses Maimonides (RaMBaM) was one of the most influential figures

in Judaism. He believed that religious beliefs should be logical and

able to be challenged, through this Moses believed that faith and
reason were to be integrated and that people were expected to find
God through knowledge and wisdom. Moses explored and
challenged the religious beliefs and concepts of Judaism in his three
major works; the Commentary on the Mishnah, the Mishneh Torah
and Guide for the Perplexed.
Moses was born in Cordoba in Spain in 1138; at this time Spain was
a peaceful country where Jews, Christians and Muslims lived
together. This time was a period of significant intellectual growth
and each religion in the area was adapting concepts from the
religions around them. In 1148 the Almohads, an extremist Muslim
group, conquered Spain and the once peaceful community was in
disarray. The Jews were forced to choose between exile, death or
conversion to Islam; Moses family fled to Morocco and settled in Fez
this was where Moses acquired most of his secular knowledge.
These events obviously had a significant impact on Moses; his first
two works were directed at the persecuted Jews living under Islamic
rule.
Moses published his commentary on the Mishnah in 1186, which
highlights the meaning of each Mishnah in a simple, systematic way,
which helped ordinary Jews to understand without in depth study of
the Torah. Moses commentary on the Mishnah explained the link
between learning the Torah and putting it into practice in the
everyday life of lay Jews. The Commentary on the Mishnah was
written in Arabic and therefore easily accessible to lay Jews living in
Muslim areas. This text helped to provide leadership for the
scattered communities of Jews at a time when they were being
threatened by Islam.
Moses formulated the thirteen principles of faith in his commentary
on the Mishnah, which highlight the main features of the Jewish
faith and assist in consolidating the core beliefs of Judaism. These
principles became the core beliefs of Judaism, although Moses was
criticised because he did not elaborate on the thirteenth article of
faith. Twenty-five years later Moses rewrote the thirteenth article of
faith in his Treatise on the Resurrection of the Dead.
The Mishneh Torah compiled by Moses between 1170 and 1180
contained a code of Jewish law. The Mishneh Torah consisted of
fourteen books written in Hebrew in a style easily accessible to lay
Jews. The Mishneh Torah made Jewish law more relevant to the
average Jew without extensive study of the Talmud. Many people

from the rabbinic world felt threatened by the Mishneh Torah

because for the first time lay Jews would be able to understand the
laws of Judaism without the assistance of the Rabbis. The fourteen
books deal with belief in one God, Jewish ritual and civil laws for
example blessings, circumcision, holy days, relationships, dietary
laws and ethics. The Mishneh Torah also deals with the
interpretation of the notion of the Messiah. Although the Mishneh
Torah was an excellent source of spiritual knowledge and
understanding for the Jewish community it also received a great
deal of criticism.
In 1190 Moses Maimonides wrote the Guide for the Perplexed or
Moreh Nevuchim, which explained that religious belief should be
logical and open to intellectual debate. This text was extremely
difficult and written in Arabic, it was aimed at the more intellectual
Jews yet assured less educated Jews that their religion was one with
a sound basis so they would not turn away from Judaism. The
Moreh Nevuchim concluded that God should not be taken literally
as described in the bible.
The Moreh Nevuchim was surrounded with the most controversy as
it challenged the existence of God and the belief in the literal
interpretation of the Torah, it encouraged Jews to question and
philosophise the teachings of Judaism, the rabbis and Jewish
authorities were not impressed and this led to Moses being
persecuted due to his unwavering beliefs. The Moreh Nevuchim
explained contradictions in Jewish theory by integrating the
Aristotelian view of God it was viewed as heresy as most Jews had
no connection with Greek thought.
Moses was appointed leader of the Jewish community in Cairo due
to his major works and the impact they had on the struggling lay
Jewish community of the time. Moses works allowed Jewish law to
be read in a clear, logical and organised manner, which gave the
illiterate section of the Jewish community a better understanding of
how to live out their faith. All strands of Judaism regard
Maimonides highly including the Hasidism as his works included the
mystical teachings of Kaballah and the Zionists as he declared that
it is a mitzvot to take possession of Israel and live there.
Moses work was highly influential to other scholars after him; not
only Jewish but Muslim and Christian also for example Moses
teachings impacted on the works of Augustus a Christian scholar.
Maimonides work is still highly regarded today as it is still used in
the everyday lives of Jews. His works summarised the Jewish laws
making them easier for the lay people to understand and had a
significant impact on the lives of Jews throughout the world.