Maimonides at the Crossroads of Jewish Occultism, Magic and the Kabbalah

Rabbi Moses Maimonides is arguably the greatest Jewish philosopher in history. His commitment to Aristotelian rationalism is famous, but his writings are also known for esoteric dimension whereby Maimonides is thought to have hidden his true positions and motivations. In this way, he is truly an esoteric philosopher. In this episode, as part of a collaboration with @LetsTalkReligion and @SeekersofUnity , I want to explore what may to have been one of the esoteric motivations for his writings - to combat the proto-Kabbalah world of Merkavah Mysticism, Jewish Magic, and the Sefer Yetzirah's radical Metaphysical realism - all the while maintaining his own theory of prophecy as communion with the Divine Intellect. Further, I'll also explore how the explosive reaction to his writings may have helped to give birth to the Kabbalah as we know it.

Check out Zevi's Video - https://youtu.be/AV2cIQvDpBk
Check out Filip's Video - https://youtu.be/8fpQPAMqATk

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Sources and Further Reading:

Check out @TheModernHermeticist 's recent audio readings of Maimonides as well!
https://youtu.be/RasBMwGOAHY
https://youtu.be/gvEaFbnFttg

The Guide of the Perplexed (Pines trans.) - 978-0226502304 & 978-0226502311
Kellner - Maimonides' Confrontation with Mysticism - 978-1906764159

- Alexander Altmann, “Maimonides’ Attitude Toward Jewish Mysticism,” in Studies in Jewish Thought: An Anthology of German Jewish Scholarship, ed. Alfred Jospe (Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1981), pp. 200–219
- Daniel Silver, Maimonidean Criticism and the Maimonidean Controversy 1180-1240 (London, 1965), 183.
- Elliot Wolfson, Abraham Abulafia, Kabbalist and Prophet; Hermeneutics, Theosophy and Theurgy, Cherub Press, Los Angeles, 2000, Introduction.
- Elliot Wolfson, “Beneath the Wings of the Great Eagle: Maimonides and Thirteenth-Century Kabbalah,” in Moses Maimonide, Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 2004, pp. 209–237
- Felicia Waldman, ‘Some Considerations on Maimonnides’ influence on Mysticism’, Studia Judaica no.17 (2009).
- Gershom Scholem, ‘Mehoker limekkubal, Sefer Harambam’,Tarbiz, 6: 3 (1935), pp. 90-8 (Hebrew).
- Harvey, Warren Z. “Aspects of Jewish Philosophy in Medieval Catalonia.” In The Life and Times of Mosse ben Nahman, Girona: Ajuntament de Girona, 1994, pp. 141– 157
- Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, “Philosophy and Kabbalah, 1200–1600.” in The Cambridge Companion to Medieval Jewish Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, 2003, pp. 218–257;
- Joseph Citron, Maimonides and Mysticism (unpublished)
- Jonathan Dauber, “Competing Approaches to Maimonides in Early Kabbalah,” in The Cultures of Maimonideanism, ed. James T. Robinson (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2009), pp. 57–88.
- Louis Jacobs, Attitudes of the Kabbalists and Hasidim towards Maimonides, in The Solomon Goldman Lectures, vol. v, ed. Byron L. Sherwin and Michael Carasik (Chicago Spertus College of Judaica Press, 1990, pp. 45-55
- Moshe Idel, “Maimonides and Kabbalah,” in Studies In Maimonides, Isadore Twersky (ed.), Harvard University Press, 1990.
- Moshe Idel, “Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed and the Kabbalah” in Jewish History 18: 197-226, 2004.

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