Editing Maimonides (section)

==Works==
===Mishneh Torah===
{{Main|Mishneh Torah}}
With {{transliteration|he|Mishneh Torah}}, Maimonides composed a code of [[Jewish law]] with the widest-possible scope and depth. The work gathers all the binding laws from the [[Talmud]], and incorporates the positions of the [[Geonim]] (post-Talmudic early medieval scholars, mainly from [[Mesopotamia]]). It is also known as {{transliteration|he|Yad ha-Chazaka}} or simply {{transliteration|he|Yad}} ({{lang|he|יד}}) which has the numerical value 14, representing the 14 books of the work. The ''Mishneh Torah'' made following Jewish law easier for the Jews of his time, who were struggling to understand the complex nature of Jewish rules and regulations as they had adapted over the years.

Later codes of Jewish law, e.g. [[Arba'ah Turim]] by Rabbi [[Jacob ben Asher]] and [[Shulchan Aruch]] by Rabbi [[Yosef Karo]], draw heavily on {{transliteration|he|Mishneh Torah}}: both often quote whole sections verbatim. However, it met initially with much opposition.<ref>Siegelbaum, Chana Bracha (2010) [https://books.google.com/books?id=4HVwBMI5zK0C&dq=Mishneh+Torah+met+initially+opposition&pg=PA199 ''Women at the crossroads : a woman's perspective on the weekly Torah portion''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912011823/https://books.google.com/books?id=4HVwBMI5zK0C&pg=PA199&lpg=PA199&dq=Mishneh+Torah+met+initially+opposition&source=bl&ots=p7VTtHovyS&sig=_ntA1Qo23D9AQ5MvoggZ9194Tg4&hl=es-419&sa=X&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAmoVChMIldLSte66xwIVghyQCh22dA_s#v=onepage&q=Mishneh%20Torah%20met%20initially%20opposition&f=false |date=12 September 2015 }} Gush Etzion: Midreshet B'erot Bat Ayin. {{ISBN|9781936068098}} page 199</ref> There were two main reasons for this opposition. First, Maimonides had refrained from adding references to his work for the sake of brevity; second, in the introduction, he gave the impression of wanting to "cut out" study of the Talmud,<ref>Last section of Maimonides' Introduction to Mishneh Torah</ref> to arrive at a conclusion in Jewish law, although Maimonides later wrote that this was not his intent. His most forceful opponents were the rabbis of [[Provence]] (Southern France), and a running critique by Rabbi [[Abraham ben David]] (Raavad III) is printed in virtually all editions of {{transliteration|he|Mishneh Torah}}. Nevertheless, Mishneh Torah was recognized as a monumental contribution to the systemized writing of [[halakha]]. Throughout the centuries, it has been widely studied and its halakhic decisions have weighed heavily in later rulings.

In response to those who would attempt to force followers of Maimonides and his {{transliteration|he|Mishneh Torah}} to abide by the rulings of his own [[Shulchan Aruch]] or other later works, Rabbi [[Yosef Karo]] wrote: "Who would dare force communities who follow the Rambam to follow any other [[posek|decisor]] [of Jewish law], early or late? [...] The Rambam is the greatest of the decisors, and all the communities of the [[Land of Israel]] and the [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabistan]] and the [[Maghreb]] practice according to his word, and accepted him as their rabbi."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=636&pgnum=70 |author-last=Karo |author-first=Joseph |author-link=Joseph Karo|title=Questions & Responsa Avqat Rokhel|script-title=he:אבקת רוכל|access-date=31 August 2023| at= responsum # 32 |language=he}} (first printed in [[Saloniki]] 1791)</ref>

An oft-cited legal maxim from his pen is: "[[Blackstone's formulation|It is better and more satisfactory to acquit a thousand guilty persons than to put a single innocent one to death]]." He argued that executing a defendant on anything less than absolute certainty would lead to a slippery slope of decreasing burdens of proof, until defendants would be convicted merely according to the judge's caprice.<ref>Moses Maimonides, ''The Commandments, Neg. Comm. 290'', at 269–71 (Charles B. Chavel trans., 1967).</ref>

===Other Judaic and philosophical works===
[[Image:Manuscript page by Maimonides Arabic in Hebrew letters (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|An autograph fragment of Maimonides' [[The Guide for the Perplexed|''Guide for the Perplexed'']] (Judeo-Arabic)]]
[[File:Maimonides-mishna.jpg|thumb|Autograph manuscript of Maimonides' ''Commentary'' to [[Sukkah (tractate)|Tractate Sukkah]], written in [[Judeo-Arabic dialects|Judeo-Arabic]] [[solitreo]]]]
Maimonides composed works of Jewish scholarship, [[halakhah|rabbinic law]], philosophy, and medical texts. Most of Maimonides' works were written in [[Judeo-Arabic languages|Judeo-Arabic]]. However, the {{transliteration|he|Mishneh Torah}} was written in Hebrew. In addition to Mishneh Torah, his Jewish texts were:
* ''[[Mishnah#Commentaries|Commentary on the Mishna]]'' (Arabic {{transliteration|ar|Kitab al-Siraj}}, translated into Hebrew as {{transliteration|he|Pirush Hamishnayot}}), written in [[Classical Arabic]] using the [[Hebrew alphabet]]. This was the first full commentary ever written on the entire Mishnah, which took Maimonides seven years to complete. It is considered one of the most important Mishnah commentaries, having enjoyed great popularity both in its Arabic original and its medieval Hebrew translation. The commentary includes three philosophical introductions which were also highly influential:
** The Introduction to the Mishnah deals with the nature of the oral law, the distinction between the prophet and the sage, and the organizational structure of the Mishnah.
** The Introduction to Mishnah [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Sanhedrin]], chapter ten ({{transliteration|he|Pereḳ Ḥeleḳ}}), is an eschatological essay that concludes with Maimonides' famous creed ("the thirteen principles of faith").
** The Introduction to [[Pirkei Avot]], popularly called ''The Eight Chapters'', is an ethical treatise.
* {{transliteration|he|[[Sefer Hamitzvot]]}} (''The Book of Commandments''). In this work, Maimonides lists all the [[613 commandments|613 mitzvot]] traditionally contained in the Torah (Pentateuch). He describes fourteen {{transliteration|he|shorashim}} (roots or principles) to guide his selection.
* {{transliteration|he|Sefer Ha'shamad}} (''Letter of Martydom'')
* ''[[The Guide for the Perplexed]]'', a philosophical work harmonising and differentiating Aristotle's philosophy and Jewish theology. Written in Judeo-Arabic under the title {{transliteration |ar|Dalālat al-ḥāʾirīn}}, and completed between 1186 and 1190.<ref>Kehot Publication Society, Chabad.org.</ref>{{better source needed|date=January 2022}} It has been suggested that the title is derived from the Arabic phrase ''dalīl al-mutaḥayyirin'' (guide of the perplexed) a name for God in a work by [[al-Ghazālī]], echoes of whose work can be found elsewhere in Maimonides.<ref>[[Sarah Stroumsa]],  ''Maimonides in His World: Portrait of a Mediterranean Thinker,'' [[Princeton University Press]] 2011 {{isbn|978-0-691-15252-3}} p.25</ref> The first translation of this work into Hebrew was done by [[Samuel ibn Tibbon]] in 1204 just prior to Maimonides' death.<ref name=WDL1/>
* {{transliteration|he|Teshuvot}}, collected correspondence and [[responsa]], including a number of public letters (on resurrection and the [[afterlife]], on conversion to other faiths, and {{transliteration|he|[[The Yemen Epistle|Iggereth Teiman]]}}—addressed to the oppressed [[Yemenite Jews|Jewry of Yemen]]).
* {{transliteration|he|Hilkhot ha-Yerushalmi}}, a fragment of a commentary on the Jerusalem Talmud, identified and published by [[Saul Lieberman]] in 1947.
* Commentaries to the [[Babylonian Talmud]], of which fragments survive.<ref>Published [http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?378 here]; see discussion [https://forum.otzar.org/viewtopic.php?t=15854 here].</ref>

===Medical works===
Maimonides' achievements in the medical field are well known, and are cited by many medieval authors. One of his more important medical works is his ''Guide to Good Health'' ({{lang|la|Regimen Sanitatis}}), which he composed in Arabic for the Sultan [[Al-Afdal ibn Salah ad-Din|al-Afdal]], son of [[Saladin]], who suffered from [[Depression (mood)|depression]].<ref>Maimonides (1963), Introduction, p. XIV</ref> The work was translated into Latin, and published in Florence in 1477, becoming the first medical book to appear in print there.<ref>Maimonides (1963), Preface, p. VI</ref> While his prescriptions may have become obsolete, "his ideas about preventive medicine, public hygiene, approach to the suffering patient, and the preservation of the health of the soul have not become obsolete."<ref>Maimonides (1963), Preface, p. VII</ref> Maimonides wrote ten known medical works in [[Arabic]] that have been translated by the [[Jewish medical ethics|Jewish medical ethicist]] [[Fred Rosner]] into contemporary English.<ref name=rosner/><ref>Volume 5 translated by Barzel (foreword by Rosner).</ref> Lectures, conferences and research on Maimonides, even recently in the 21st century, have been done at medical universities in [[Morocco]].
*{{lang|la|Regimen Sanitatis}}, Suessmann Muntner (ed.), [[Mossad Harav Kook]]: Jerusalem 1963 (translated into Hebrew by [[Moses ibn Tibbon|Moshe Ibn Tibbon]]) ({{OCLC|729184001}})
* ''The Art of Cure – Extracts from Galen'' (Barzel, 1992, Vol. 5)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160128032218/http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/6/6/4/2/3/0/webimg/873411911_o.jpg Title page], [https://web.archive.org/web/20160128032227/http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/6/6/4/2/3/0/webimg/873411923_o.jpg TOC].</ref> is essentially an extract of [[Galen]]'s extensive writings.
* ''Commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates'' (Rosner, 1987, Vol. 2; Hebrew:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?155175&lang=eng|title=כתבים רפואיים – ג (פירוש לפרקי אבוקראט) / משה בן מימון (רמב"ם) / ת"ש-תש"ב – אוצר החכמה|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=21 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621093314/http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?155175&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|he|פירוש לפרקי אבוקראט}}) is interspersed with his own views.
* ''Medical Aphorisms<ref>Maimonides. ''Medical Aphorisms (Treatises 1–5 6–9 10–15 16–21 22–25)'', [[Brigham Young University]], [[Provo, Utah|Provo]] – [[Utah]]</ref> of Moses'' (Rosner, 1989, Vol. 3) titled ''Fusul Musa'' in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ("Chapters of Moses", Hebrew:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?155174&lang=eng|title=כתבים רפואיים – ב (פרקי משה ברפואה) / משה בן מימון (רמב"ם) / ת"ש-תש"ב – אוצר החכמה|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=21 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621053920/http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?155174&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|he|פרקי משה}}) contains 1500 aphorisms and many medical conditions are described.
* ''Treatise on Hemorrhoids'' (in Rosner, 1984, Vol. 1; Hebrew:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?155176&lang=eng|title=כתבים רפואיים – ד (ברפואת הטחורים) / משה בן מימון (רמב"ם) / ת"ש-תש"ב – אוצר החכמה|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=21 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621120415/http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?155176&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|he|ברפואת הטחורים}}) discusses also digestion and food.
* ''Treatise on Cohabitation'' (in Rosner, 1984, Vol. 1) contains recipes as [[aphrodisiac]]s and anti-aphrodisiacs.
* ''Treatise on Asthma'' (Rosner, 1994, Vol. 6)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160128032324/http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/6/6/4/2/3/0/webimg/873411740_o.jpg Title page], [https://web.archive.org/web/20160128032309/http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/6/6/4/2/3/0/webimg/873411751_o.jpg TOC].</ref> discusses climates and diets and their effect on asthma and emphasizes the need for clean air.
* ''Treatise on Poisons and Their Antidotes'' (in Rosner, 1984, Vol. 1) is an early [[toxicology]] textbook that remained popular for centuries.
* ''Regimen of Health'' (in Rosner, 1990, Vol. 4; Hebrew:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/Book.aspx?155173&lang=eng|title=כתבים רפואיים – א (הנהגת הבריאות) / משה בן מימון (רמב"ם) / ת"ש-תש"ב – אוצר החכמה|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=29 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629080558/http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?155173&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|he|הנהגת הבריאות}}) is a discourse on healthy living and the mind-body connection.
* ''Discourse on the Explanation of Fits'' advocates healthy living and the avoidance of overabundance.
* ''Glossary of Drug Names'' (Rosner, 1992, Vol. 7)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160128032348/http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/6/6/4/2/3/0/webimg/873411994_o.jpg Title page], [https://web.archive.org/web/20160128032352/http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/6/6/4/2/3/0/webimg/873412019_o.jpg TOC].</ref> represents a [[pharmacopeia]] with 405 paragraphs with the names of drugs in Arabic, Greek, Syrian, Persian, Berber, and Spanish.

====''The Oath of Maimonides''====
The ''[[Oath of Maimonides]]'' is a document about the medical calling and recited as a substitute for the ''[[Hippocratic Oath]]''. It is not to be confused with a more lengthy ''Prayer of Maimonides''. These documents may not have been written by Maimonides, but later.<ref name=frank/> The ''Prayer'' appeared first in print in 1793 and has been attributed to [[Markus Herz]], a German physician, pupil of [[Immanuel Kant]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.library.dal.ca/kellogg/Bioethics/codes/maimonides.htm |title=Oath and Prayer of Maimonides |publisher=Library.dal.ca |access-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629222954/http://www.library.dal.ca/kellogg/Bioethics/codes/maimonides.htm |archive-date=29 June 2008 }}</ref>

===Treatise on logic===
The ''Treatise on Logic'' (Arabic: {{transliteration|ar|Maqala Fi-Sinat Al-Mantiq}}) has been printed 17 times, including editions in [[Latin]] (1527), [[German language|German]] (1805, 1822, 1833, 1828), [[French language|French]] (1936) by Moïse Ventura and in 1996 by Rémi Brague, and English (1938) by Israel Efros, and in an abridged Hebrew form. The work illustrates the essentials of Aristotelian logic to be found in the teachings of the great [[List of Muslim philosophers|Islamic philosophers]] such as [[Avicenna]] and, above all, [[Al-Farabi]], "the Second Master," the "First Master" being [[Aristotle]]. In his work devoted to the Treatise, [[Rémi Brague]] stresses the fact that Al-Farabi is the only philosopher mentioned therein. This indicates a line of conduct for the reader, who must read the text keeping in mind Al-Farabi's works on logic. In the Hebrew versions, the Treatise is called ''The words of Logic'' which describes the bulk of the work. The author explains the technical meaning of the words used by logicians. The Treatise duly inventories the terms used by the logician and indicates what they refer to. The work proceeds rationally through a lexicon of philosophical terms to a summary of higher philosophical topics, in 14 chapters corresponding to Maimonides' birthdate of 14 Nissan. The number 14 recurs in many of Maimonides' works. Each chapter offers a cluster of associated notions. The meaning of the words is explained and illustrated with examples. At the end of each chapter, the author carefully draws up the list of words studied.

Until very recently, it was accepted that Maimonides wrote the ''Treatise on Logic'' in his twenties or even in his teen years.<ref>Abraham Heschel, ''Maimonides''. New York: Farrar Straus, 1982 p. 22 ("at sixteen")</ref> Herbert Davidson has raised questions about Maimonides' authorship of this short work (and of other short works traditionally attributed to Maimonides). He maintains that Maimonides was not the author at all, based on a report of two Arabic-language manuscripts, unavailable to Western investigators in Asia Minor.<ref>Davidson, pp. 313 ff.</ref> Rabbi [[Yosef Qafih|Yosef Kafih]] maintained that it is by Maimonides and newly translated it to Hebrew (as {{transliteration|he|Beiur M'lekhet HaHiggayon}}) from the Judeo-Arabic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?149870&lang=eng|title=באור מלאכת ההגיון / משה בן מימון (רמב"ם) / תשנ"ז – אוצר החכמה|access-date=19 July 2016|archive-date=21 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621131149/http://www.otzar.org/wotzar/book.aspx?149870&lang=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>