Rambam

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Pronunciations

Rambam (RAHM-bahm) listen

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Definitions

Example Sentences

  • "When Joseph Caro chose Rambam as one of three poskim whose opinions he would collate in the Shulhan Arukh, the other two being Isaac Alfasi (the Rif) and Asher ben Jehiel (the Rosh), it was implicit that Rambam could be overruled by the other two." (source)

  • "I don't think that his opinion should not be taken seriously, but I don't know why in many communities I have been in, the rambam's conclusion is considered final above other prominent poskim when a controversial topic comes up. What is it about him that caused his ruling to be differed to to the extant that it is?" (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • Rambam: רַמְבַּ״ם acronym for רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה בֶּן מַיְמוֹן 'Rabbi Moses ben Maimon'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).

      Alternative Spellings

      The Rambam

Notes

  • Also called 'The Rambam'.

    Rambam lived from 1135–1204.

    "Maimonides was born in Spain; his family fled persecution to Egypt, where he served as court physician to the sultan. He was the leader of the Jewish community of Cairo in the Middle Ages. His Guide of the Perplexed attempted to put many of the philosophies of Judaism in simple terms that the general populace could understand. His Mishneh Torah is a systematic code and compilation of Jewish law that he hoped would make it easier to observe halakhah, since Jews would not have to search the Talmud to find the reference point for each law. His Book of Commandments, a compilation of the Torah’s 613 commandments, is still one of the primary texts used by yeshivah students. His most noted work, the Thirteen Principles of Faith, contains the famous quote 'I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah. Even though he may tarry I will wait for him on any day that he may come.' He is so renowned that a Jewish expression of the time compared him with the biblical hero: 'From Moses (of the Torah) to Moses (Maimonides), there is no one like Moses.'" (JPS)

    See also Maimonides.

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