Maimonidays

Rambam continues exploring the principles of education

We start on the laws of Torah study with general principles about learning – who can and should learn, when and how often, and to what extent does the obligation to education apply to ourselves as well as our children.

We conclude Hilkhot Dé'ot with more on the laws of speech as well as guidance around grudges and vengeance (both bad!)

We conclude Chapter 6 with a look at the significance of the socially vulnerable in our ethics and then turn to Chapter 7, the final bit of Dé'ot, which focusses extensively on the laws of speech.

We review (almost all of) Chapter 6 of Hilkhot Dé'ot – a chapter discussing the importance of good friends, and friends who are good enough to tell you off when you're not so good!

In the conclusion to Chapter 5 of Dé'ot, we cover the personal, sartorial and financial behaviour of talmidé hakhamim.

In the first half of Chapter 5 we review the behaviours expected of a Sage – in eating, drinking, bathing, sexual intimacy, and even in toilet habits..

In the second half of Chapter 4 of Hilkhot Dé'ot, we dive into Rambam's medicinal recommendations for eating, drinking, bathing, and having a healthy sex life.

The start of Chapter 4, all about food and medicine

In the third chapter of Dé'ot, Rambam walks us through some of the concepts critical to good behaviour, exploring asceticism and hedonism, the balanced life, and what it means to have kavvanah

We continue our exploration of morality, with Rambam suggesting a model of medicalisation and defining further the categories of Hakham, Hasid and Tsaddik.

As we turn to Hilkhot Dé'ot, we see the groundwork for Rambam's concept of morality and moral behaviour

A final look at prophets, true and false

We look at how to identify a false prophet and how the chain of authority and assent relates to the text and law of the Torah

What prophets should we believe? What is the nature of belief itself in Judaism?

We look at Ch 7 - beginning the discussion of Nevu'ah (Prophecy)

In Chapter 6 we read all about divine names and divine objects – how we are to determine what is sacred and what is not, and then how we are meant to treat the sacred, particularly the sacred divine names.

Concluding Chapter 5, we explore the situations in which one may transgress Halakhah for therapeutic and medical purposes

We dive into Chapter 5 and into a discussion of Kiddush haShem and Hillul haShem. What is the concept of martyrdom in Judaism? When is one obligated to allow themselves to be killed instead of violating a command.

We conclude Chapter 4 and with it, the introductory chapters covering the esoteric topics of Ma'aseh Merkavah (Theology) and Ma'aseh Merkavah (Science)

We continue Chapter 4 of Yesodé haTorah with an exploration of the human 'soul', the question of what separates humans from other animals, and the basis for the belief that something of us survives death

We begin to look at Chapter 4 of Yesodé haTorah, focussed on the ancient chemical system of Four Elements

We read Chapter 3 of Yesodé haTorah – in which Rambam explains his conception of the cosmos, his views on astronomy and astrology and more!

In the conclusion of Chapter 2 of Yesodé haTorah – we consider the nature of God, life, consciousness and knowledge – and then receive a warning as to the esoteric danger of such radical ideas.

In our third session we dive into Chapter 2 of Yesodé haTorah – an exploration of what it means to love and fear God, a taxonomy of angelic beings and the introduction of the dichotomy of form and matter.