Essential Maimonides

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Jewish tradition holds that there were two Torahs given to Moses at Mt. Sinai-one written (which forms the first five books of the Jewish Bible), and one oral (which, after being passed down through the generations, was compiled in the Talmud). Maimonides remains one of rabbinic Judaism's towering figures nearly 800 years after his death because of his brilliant explanation of this oral law. In this compendium, Finkel offers five of the Rambam's lesser-known works-"Letter to Yemen," "Discourse on Martyrdom," "Commentary on the Mishnah," "The Eight Chapters" and "Discourse on the World to Come"-which demonstrate Maimonides' penetrating, logical Torah analysis. But more striking than this book's intellectual heft is how clearly the personality of Maimonides comes through. At times funny, at times caustic, he does not suffer fools gladly. However, his venom for intellectual opponents is clearly outmatched by his overwhelming love for his people. (May)