Maimonides Quiz and Discussion Questions (Sunny Lusins)

A philosopher is defined as a person who offers views or theories on profound questions in ethics, metaphysics, logic, and other related fields. While Maimonides was known as the greatest Jewish medieval philosopher of all time, when it came to original philosophical thought, that is not what he was known for. He was a master of mathematics, astronomy, logic, ethics, politics, theology, medicine, and law above being a philosopher; a way that those that have studied Maimonides for years proclaim that he is the foremost Jewish school of all time. Some of his major accomplishments include being the highest religious authority for Jews in Egypt, writing a compendium of Jewish law that influenced all subsequent Jewish law codes, and writing a clear and concise view of the Torah called the Mishneh Torah. At the young age of 14, author Joel L. Kraemer began studying Maimonides, and his book Maimonides: The Life and World of one of Civilization’s Greatest Minds is a wonderful touchstone to summarize Maimonides’ perspective of topics in the Torah. The Mishneh Torah contains six books, the Book of Knowledge, the Book of Adoration, the Book of Women, the Book of Agriculture, the Book of Torts, and the Book of Judges. The Book of Adoration and the Book of Women are going to be the primary focus, along with Maimonides’ views on topics such as what makes a noble character and preferred methods of learning. In the Book of Adoration, Maimonides explains the process of preparing for prayer by saying:

“How does one achieve correct intention? One must free the mind of all thoughts and see oneself as standing before the divine Presence. Therefore, one should sit a while before prayer in order to direct the mind, and then pray gently and beseechingly. One must not pray as if it were a burden to be cast aside before one continues on the way. Thus, one should sit a while after prayer and only then leave. The early pietists would wait an hour before prayer, an hour after prayer, and spend an hour praying.”

            Maimonides was believed to have converted to Islam at one point before converting back to Judaism, so his views of a religious nature tend to be a mix of Islamic and Jewish viewpoints.

            In the next book, the Book of Women, Maimonides expands on topics including marriage, modesty, physical punishment, and mutual respect in marriage. However, his most liberal viewpoint seemed to be when he expanded on birth control. Maimonides reads:

“Although Maimonides believed that the purpose of marriage is procreation, he also understood that relief of sexual tension was conducive to good health… only the man was commanded to procreate, and since the command did not obligate the woman, she was permitted to use a preventative device…”

            If you compare the viewpoint of birth control to those of the modern day, this perspective may seem conservative, but Maimonides lived between the years of 1138 and 1204, so this view of women being able to decide whether or not they want to procreate is fairly open-minded for the time that Maimonides was alive.

            Maimonides also believed in preserving yourself as a noble character, no matter the cost. The Mishneh Torah reads:

“The business affairs of a sage must be in truth and in faithfulness; his work is his bond. He is scrupulous with himself in his accounts, but gives and forgives when he takes from others and is not strict with them. He pays the purchase price immediately; he does not act either as surety or trustee or to assume a power of attorney. He accepts obligation for himself in business transactions even when the Torah does not obligate him, so that he will stand by his word and not change it. If others are judged liable to him, he forgives them and loans them money and is gracious. He does not encroach on the trade of another, and does not distress a man all his life. The general rule of the matter is, he is of the persecuted but not of the persecutors, of the reviled but not the revilers.”

So, for Maimonides, even under the continuous scrutiny of those around you, you should always take the moral high ground and present yourself as the noble person. Lastly, Maimonides—the brilliant scholar that he was—had a very clear view on how a classroom environment should proceed.

“… He recorded in his code of law, Mishneh Torah, the Talmudic principle that the number of pupils in a class should not be more than twenty-five, and that if there was as many as forty, an assistant was to be employed.”

            A very simple but unused method. The college environment can range from a classroom of less than 20 students to an auditorium containing up to 200 students. Each student will have a different perspective on what they believe to be the optimal learning environment, but Maimonides believed that in terms of students, less is more.

Maimonides Quiz Questions

1.     At what age did Joel L. Kraemer begin studying Maimonides?

2.     Name one area that Maimonides mastered during his life.

3.     What is the name of the text that contains the Book of Adoration and the Book of Women?

4.     Did Maimonides believe that birth control was appropriate for women to use?

5.     What is the number of students Maimonides believes should be in a class before an assistant should be employed?

6.     How long did Maimonides say early pietists waited before praying?

Maimonides Discussion Questions

1.     Do you believe 25 students is too many or too little students to have in one classroom? What do you believe is the optimal number and why?

2.     Is there ever a right time to be the persecutor over the persecuted? Why or why not?

3.     Is an hour too long to wait before and after praying? Why or why not?

4.     Why do you believe Maimonides was known as a philosopher even though he never possessed much original philosophical thought? 

5.     The six books contained in the Mishneh Torah are the Book of Knowledge, the Book of Adoration, the Book of Women, the Book of Agriculture, the Book of Torts, and the Book of Judges. Based on the titles alone, which book do you think is the most interesting/would you like to read the most? 

6.     Why do you think Maimonides had such an open-minded view of birth control?