The Rambam

Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon was one of the towering figures in history. Among the Jewish people, he is known as the Rambam, while universally - for his fame and influence reached far beyond the confines of his own people - he is called Maimonides.

The Rambam (1135-1205) was born in Cordoba, Spain but was expelled in 1148 when the Almohads (a fanatical Muslim group originating from northern Africa) conquered Spain and forced their religion on to the country.

The Rambam was forced to wander with his family for 17 years until they settled in Cairo, Egypt. There, the Rambam became a court physician to the sultan while continuing to write commentary on the Torah. When he was 23 and still fleeing from Spain he started the first of three monumental works- Sefer HaMaor- which he finished 10 years later. His clear, methodical and analytical mind and his remarkable ability to arrange the material systematically is already evident in this early work.

Had the Rambam written no other work but the Sefer HaMaor, it would have been sufficient to immortalize him among the Jewish people. But he had no sooner completed this work than he embarked on his next and even more ambitious project, the codification of Jewish law. This Sefer- Sefer Hamitzvos- systemically organized the 613 Torah commandments.

While working full time as a physician and Jewish leader, the Rambam embarked on his magnum opus- The Mishneh Torah. Mishneh Torah is a collection of fourteen books that details all of Jewish observance.

While the Rambam lived in Cairo every minute of his day was occupied. He would serve the Sultan until afternoon when he would make the mile and a half journey home. There he would eat his first and only meal of the day before treating the locals while lying down from sheer exhaustion. Visitors would come to see him till after nightfall. And still he was able to accomplish so much in the literary world and produce such priceless works.

Maimonides passed away when he was 70 years old. He was buried in Tiveria where to this day thousands of Jews come to pray. The Rambam was truly a polymath, who’s wisdom, philosophy, and teachings have effected the lives of millions across different spectrums of religion and time.