We have seen how RAMBAM's works were greeted in the Ashkenazi lands of France and Germany with great derision. They were seen as heterodox and dangerous. They were condemned, banned and burned everywhere. With time, however, it began to be recognized that RAMBAM had an incredible grasp of all of Biblical, Talmudic and post Talmudic literature. He was not easily dismissed! Various approaches to reconcile him with the Judaism that they had known arose.
Some took the simple approach that his philosophical works were forgeries, designed to embarrass and discredit him. This approach was still current among some eighteenth century rabbis.
Another approach was to say that he didn't mean what he wrote. His philosophy was designed to bring back to Judaism those who had strayed because of Greek philosophy. It was the classic "Hora'at Sha'ah", a "ruling for the hour", much as Elijah did when he encouraged the Priests of Baal to make sacrifice in order to show the people that Baal is false.
Still another approach, espoused by many even today, is that RAMBAM, although disparaging Kabbalah, was, in fact, a great Kabbalist. Everything he wrote was speaking of certain "levels". No angels? No problem. In the highest of the four Kabbalistic worlds, there ARE no angels. He was talking on that level. G-d has no attributes? He was talking on the level of Ein Sof (Infinite) which is beyond attributes of even Names. No demons? Why, that's silly. As he wrote this, he actually was banishing the demons to uninhabited areas, where they could do no harm. Often, halachic rulings which he wrote that differed from the "norm" were assumed to be copyist errors. Many were 'reinterpreted", and many were "fixed". Fortunately, two recent editions of his works have been printed from the oldest manuscripts; one even bearing his signature on each page.They differ from the standard editions in hundreds of places.
But the most common approach among Ashkenazim was to see his halachah as one opinion of many, and to simply ignore his philosophical works. Even in Sepharadic circles, where his rulings were rarely challenged (Rabbi Yosef Karo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, wrote in four different places that we ALWAYS follow RAMBAM's rulings "in these lands".), scholars were divided between Kabbalists and Maimonists. This was true until the expulsion from Spain in 1492, when philosophy was at a loss to explain what had happened, and Kabbalah filled the void.
A turnaround occurred in the late seventeenth century. One of the greatest traumas in Jewish history was the appearance of the false Messiah, Shabbaetai Tzvi. There have been, and still are, many false Messiahs in our history. I personally have met about eight of them. But the others had either no following, or a pitiful small group of misfits. Shabbetai Tzvi was different. MOST Jews and rabbis believed him. (This is often played down in apologetic writings, but is well documented). If you are Jewish, you can assume that most of your ancestors who lived in the 1660s were "believers". He based himself on a distortion of Kabbalah, and generated great hopes of redemption in the year 1666. In 1666, Shabbaetai Tzvi converted to Islam. The shock and disappointment were immense. Most went back to their old routine; but with faith diminished. Some continued to believe in Shabbatai Tzvi...up until this very day. It was at that time that Ashkenazim either abandoned the study and practice of Kabbalah, or else limited it to the stable and mature. (This despite the fact that many famous rabbis were "believers", and we are still arguing about some rabbis of the following generations). Many dusted off RAMBAM's "Guide" at this point, hoping to create a more stable and intellectually based Judaism. RAMBAM's "Thirteen Articles of Faith", long attacked by scholars in every land, now became the "standard" Jewish belief. Non Kabbalistic, "standard" Orthodoxy is heavily Maimonist. Most Sepharadim, and all Chassidim, maintained the belief and practice of Kabbalah. But your standard Yeshiva University Modern Orthodox rabbi will, for the most part, be a theological Maimonist. For these,RAMBAM's halachah will be far less significant than his take on Talmud and Jewish tradition. Kabbalistically oriented Jews will be looked on askance, and with considerable suspicion. In my opinion, this accounts for a very large part of the problems and conflicts which plague modern day Judaism. We thus see the roots of avoidance of aggadah. RAMBAM urged to keep away from it. Where he does quote it, it is almost always interpreted allegorically. For those who are not partial to RAMBAM's philosophy, or who reinterpret it to the point of it being unrecognizable, aggadah remains central.
In my next post, i will examine the unique approach of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov to these issues. Stay tuned!
Some took the simple approach that his philosophical works were forgeries, designed to embarrass and discredit him. This approach was still current among some eighteenth century rabbis.
Another approach was to say that he didn't mean what he wrote. His philosophy was designed to bring back to Judaism those who had strayed because of Greek philosophy. It was the classic "Hora'at Sha'ah", a "ruling for the hour", much as Elijah did when he encouraged the Priests of Baal to make sacrifice in order to show the people that Baal is false.
Still another approach, espoused by many even today, is that RAMBAM, although disparaging Kabbalah, was, in fact, a great Kabbalist. Everything he wrote was speaking of certain "levels". No angels? No problem. In the highest of the four Kabbalistic worlds, there ARE no angels. He was talking on that level. G-d has no attributes? He was talking on the level of Ein Sof (Infinite) which is beyond attributes of even Names. No demons? Why, that's silly. As he wrote this, he actually was banishing the demons to uninhabited areas, where they could do no harm. Often, halachic rulings which he wrote that differed from the "norm" were assumed to be copyist errors. Many were 'reinterpreted", and many were "fixed". Fortunately, two recent editions of his works have been printed from the oldest manuscripts; one even bearing his signature on each page.They differ from the standard editions in hundreds of places.
But the most common approach among Ashkenazim was to see his halachah as one opinion of many, and to simply ignore his philosophical works. Even in Sepharadic circles, where his rulings were rarely challenged (Rabbi Yosef Karo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch, wrote in four different places that we ALWAYS follow RAMBAM's rulings "in these lands".), scholars were divided between Kabbalists and Maimonists. This was true until the expulsion from Spain in 1492, when philosophy was at a loss to explain what had happened, and Kabbalah filled the void.
A turnaround occurred in the late seventeenth century. One of the greatest traumas in Jewish history was the appearance of the false Messiah, Shabbaetai Tzvi. There have been, and still are, many false Messiahs in our history. I personally have met about eight of them. But the others had either no following, or a pitiful small group of misfits. Shabbetai Tzvi was different. MOST Jews and rabbis believed him. (This is often played down in apologetic writings, but is well documented). If you are Jewish, you can assume that most of your ancestors who lived in the 1660s were "believers". He based himself on a distortion of Kabbalah, and generated great hopes of redemption in the year 1666. In 1666, Shabbaetai Tzvi converted to Islam. The shock and disappointment were immense. Most went back to their old routine; but with faith diminished. Some continued to believe in Shabbatai Tzvi...up until this very day. It was at that time that Ashkenazim either abandoned the study and practice of Kabbalah, or else limited it to the stable and mature. (This despite the fact that many famous rabbis were "believers", and we are still arguing about some rabbis of the following generations). Many dusted off RAMBAM's "Guide" at this point, hoping to create a more stable and intellectually based Judaism. RAMBAM's "Thirteen Articles of Faith", long attacked by scholars in every land, now became the "standard" Jewish belief. Non Kabbalistic, "standard" Orthodoxy is heavily Maimonist. Most Sepharadim, and all Chassidim, maintained the belief and practice of Kabbalah. But your standard Yeshiva University Modern Orthodox rabbi will, for the most part, be a theological Maimonist. For these,RAMBAM's halachah will be far less significant than his take on Talmud and Jewish tradition. Kabbalistically oriented Jews will be looked on askance, and with considerable suspicion. In my opinion, this accounts for a very large part of the problems and conflicts which plague modern day Judaism. We thus see the roots of avoidance of aggadah. RAMBAM urged to keep away from it. Where he does quote it, it is almost always interpreted allegorically. For those who are not partial to RAMBAM's philosophy, or who reinterpret it to the point of it being unrecognizable, aggadah remains central.
In my next post, i will examine the unique approach of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov to these issues. Stay tuned!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete