Information AboutMaimonides |
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Moshe ben Maimon ( March 30 , 1135 – December 13 , 1204 ) was a Jew ish Rabbi , Physician , and Philosopher . Moshe ben Maimon's Hebrew name is רבי משה בן מיימון and his Arabic name is موسى بن ميمون بن عبد الله القرطبي الإسرائيلي, ''Mussa bin Maimun ibn Abdallah al-Kurtubi al-Israili''. However, he is most commonly known by his Greek name, Moses Maimonides (Μωησής Μαϊμονίδης), and many Jewish works refer to him by the acronym of his title and name, '''RaMBaM''' or '''Rambam''' (רמב"ם). The Greek appellation means "son of Maimon," and is a literal rendition of "ben Maimon." BIOGRAPHY Maimonides was born in 1135 in Córdoba, Spain , then under Muslim rule during what some scholars consider to be the end of the Golden Age Of Jewish Culture In Spain . Maimonides Studied Torah under his father Maimon who had in turn studied under Rabbi Joseph Ibn Migash . The Almohades conquered Córdoba in 1148, and offered the Jewish community the choice of Conversion To Islam , Death , or Exile . Maimonides's family, along with most other Jews, chose exile. For the next ten years they moved about in southern Spain, avoiding the conquering Almohades, but eventually settled in Fes in Morocco , where Maimonides acquired most of his secular knowledge, studying at the University Of Fes . During this time, he composed his acclaimed Commentary on the Mishna . Following this sojourn in Morocco, he briefly lived in the Holy Land, spending time in Jerusalem , and finally settled in Fostat , Egypt ; where he was doctor of the Grand Vizier Alfadhil and also possibly the doctor of Sultan Saladin of Egypt. In Egypt, he composed most of his ''oeuvre'', including the Mishneh Torah . He died in Fostat, and was buried in Tiberias (today in Israel ). His son Avraham , recognized as a great scholar, succeeded him as '' Nagid '' (head of the Egyptian Jewish Community), as well as in the office of court Physician , at the age of only eighteen. He greatly honored the memory of his father, and throughout his career defended his father's writings against all critics. The office of ''Nagid'' was held by the Maimonides family for four successive generations until the end of the 14th century. He is widely respected in Spain and a statue of him was erected in Córdoba alongside his synagogue, which is no longer functioning as a Jewish house of worship but is open to the public. There is no Jewish community in Córdoba now, but the city is proud of its historical connection to Rambam. |