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October 22, 1969

Maimonides' Book of Love - Lecture 1 (1969)

General Jewish Thought
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Maimonides' Book of Love - Lecture 2 (1969)

1. Term הלכות תפלה reveals paradox'l bipolarity: fixity – spont'y ... אבות\קרבנות. 2. They read (silently) I: 1-6. 3. Hal. 1: עבודה שבלב. 3 def's עבודה. a) עבד – not just hard work (even בן חורין): submiss'n to will g-d. So משה עבד ה'. b) קרבנות; as על ג' דברים... עב' ... עב' myk. Rel'n: K. D. Z. Hofm'n on קין והבל – partic'n meaning or symbol עבדות nom. אדנות g-d. c) תפלה – 2 ____: spiritual and קרבן; ונשלמה פרים פני a/dv: לב becomes קרבן – emot'y: ec-stasy
General Jewish Thought

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Maimonides on the Love of God (1995)

Immediately after the profession of divine unity in the Shema, the Torah introduces us to one of the fundamental precepts of Judaism, namely, ahavat Hashem, the Love of God: (“thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy might” – Deut. 6:4). It is self-understood that so powerful and central a theme in religion in general, and especially in Judaism, has engaged the attention and careful scrutiny of almost every Jewish thinker. Certainly, we expect the subject to be treated by Maimonides, and our expectations are not disappointed. No serious consideration of any aspect of Jewish thought or philosophy can or may avoid considering the views of Maimonides.Before proceeding to the more analytic interpretations of our key verse, all of which concern the nature of the Love of God, it is appropriate to mention a midrash that gives an entirely different "spin” to the commandment to "love the Lord thy God.” The Sifrei takes the verb ve’ahavru. "and thou shall love.” in the causative sense:another explanation of, “Thou shall love the Lord thy God” (Deut. 6:4): Cause Him to be beloved by humans, even as your father Abraham did. as it is written, "(And Abram took Sarai his wife, and his brother's son Lot and all the substance that they had gathered) and the souls that they had gotten in Haran" (Gen. 12:5)3In an old and well-known midrash, “the souls that they had gotten in Haran" is interpreted by the Sages as referring to the proselytes whom Abraham and"All the Torah is included in the commandment to lose God. because he who ioves the King devotes all his thoughts to doing that which is good and right in His eyes"—Sejer Mit:\ot Gado! (Venice cd., reprinted in Jerusalem, 1960), Pos. Com. 3. p. 96b.The most comprehensive work on this subject is that oi Geoiges Vajd.i. L'amour de Dick dans !a iheolo^ie Juive du Moeen Age (Paris. I‘.’57).Siliei. V.t-ethanan. piska 32. ed. Louis Finkelstein 1 New Y1״k: Jewish Theological Seminary, 1969)54.Sarah …
General Jewish Thought

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Maimonides, The Book of Knowledge, Lecture 1: Theory of Golden Mean (1968)

I. Brief Biographical Introd (1 attachment) II. The משנה תורה (=י"ד). The ספר המדע (=communication). III. הל' דעות a) realist of II מצוות for Hagamon. b) להדמות בדרכיו – b____ in צלם אלקים (imagio → imitatio) but in order imitatio character of g-d – want to know it. so: דעות = knowledge + character (disposition). IV. ה"א – Aristotelian Ethics – + J. ethics coincide. V. ה"ב – Orally: source of דעות. a) every דעה has 2 extremes + middle way
General Jewish Thought