Maimonides

by Sherwin B. Nuland

Book Overview

Sherwin B. Nuland--best-selling author of How We Die --focuses his surgeon's eye and writer's pen on this greatest of rabbis, most intriguing of Jewish philosophers, and most honored of Jewish... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805242007
• ISBN13: 9780805242003
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Schocken Books Inc
• Length: 233 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.3" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A very interesting and thought provoking book

The Jewish Encounter series of Schocken and Nextbook opted for an unusual, yet entirely satisfying approach in its books that present the ideas of prominent historical Jewish figures. As Dr. Nuland put it, the general editor of the series, of which ten books have been published to date, "did not want a scholar steeped in the complexities of his subject's philosophy; he wanted a writer, who might seek out the essence of the man and tell the story of his lifelong journey toward understanding." This approach of using interesting writers to delve into subjects that might be unfamiliar to them and to give their impressions of the "encounter between the contemporary observer and the towering figure of the Jewish past," of writing a book accessible for the average reader, not the scholar, produced good and bad results, but is an excellent idea. Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland, a physician, admits at the outset of his volume that he knew little about Maimonides before he started researching the great sage and writing his book. In fact, he tells us that he tried to abandon the project. But he studied many books and finished his Maimonides, which was published in 2005, and the paperback version in 2008. Dr. Nuland introduces his volume with a 26 page perceptive discussion on why so many Jews decided to become physicians and why they are generally considered so competent that many non-Jews prefer a Jewish doctor over one of their own faith. Scholars have recognized that we have virtually no knowledge of Maimonides early life. Faced with the problem of how to describe Maimonides upbringing, Nuland fills the next 26 pages with his own ideas of what may have occurred and with legends that were narrated to glorify Maimonides. He imagines, for example, that Maimonides' father Maimon was a physician, describes how the young Maimonides went to school in Fez and details what he learnt, presents an account of a dialogue between Maimonides and his brother David, describes his first marriage and the birth of a daughter who died shortly after birth, and states that Maimonides wrote his code of Jewish law, his Mishneh Torah, as a state constitution because he was certain that the messiah would appear shortly and that the nation of Israel that he would reestablish would need a constitution. There is no proof that any of this is true. He relates a rather ironic legend that Maimonides, the man who would become the most knowledgeable or one of the most knowledgeable Jews, as a youngster was not interested in study, and fought against his father when he attempted to teach him. He would often hide from his father in the synagogue's women's section. But one day, when young Moses was ten years old, he entered the synagogue and astounded the congregation with a scholarly lecture showing the depth of his knowledge. Dr. Nuland does not state that this tale is remarkably similar to the one in the New Testament about Jesus, and was obviously borrowed from that source. Scholars may dis

Balancing faith and reason

Dr. Nuland, himself a Jewish physician, was understandably reluctant to engage in doing the biography of perhaps the ultimate Jewish physician of all time: Moses Ben Maimon also referred to as Rambam or Maimonides. His reluctance was understandable on a number of levels. First, Maimonides was of pronounced expertise in the healing arts. Not only the author of ten medical books, he had through dint of skill managed to elevate himself to being court physician at the court of Saladin. Second, for Jewish thought (and derivatively for western thought itself) Maimonides was significant for his recognition of and attempt to deal with the conflict between the canonized precepts of faith and the unanswered questions of science. His "Guide for the Perplexed" itself perplexing is an attempt in some ways an attempt at striking a balance. However, in both ways Nuland managed to briefly make the material accessible to the reader. And significantly also, Nuland managed to connect the reader with Maimonides humanity...his early difficulties with learning, his grief at the loss of his brother and his joy in parenthood. In this way, Nuland managed to create and even more iconic figure because rather than putting him a pedistal, Nuland put Maimonides right next to you...all the more human and therefore all the more relevant.

From Moses to Moses there was none like Moses

Sherwin B. Nuland opens this book by explaining how he finally came to after much discouragement write this book on the great Jewish thinker, halachist, communal leader and physician Moses Maimonedes, commonly known as the Rambam. Nuland's reluctance is understandable as he is not a scholar of Jewish texts, nor one deeply versed in Jewish thought. He is a prominent well- known highly esteemed physician and writer. And a good share of the book is devoted to understanding the Rambam as a physician. In the course of this Nuland provides a brief historical sketch of the development of Medicine from Galen to and through the Middle Ages. In the course of this he makes it clear that the Rambam was like all the great Medieval physicians not really a medical innovator. The Rambam was an extraordinarily dedicated physician whose observational powers were complemented by his vast knowledge of the extant medical literature. Nuland quotes the famous letter of the Rambam in which he details his exhausting schedule as physician including his work at Court and his work with the poorer Muslim population and with the Jewish community. Nuland also describes in some detail the medical writings of Rambam, including the Aphorisms and guidebooks which served a wider public to the dawn of the ear of Modern Medicine. The Rambam turned to Medicine only after a great personal tragedy the loss at sea of his younger brother David. David had provided the material means for the Rambam to be totally devoted to scholarship. Rambam went into depression for over a year until finally emerging with the decision to practice medicine. Nuland gives an excellent summary of the whole course of Rambam's life, including the childhood in Cordoba, the early years in Fez, the expulsions the Jewish community suffered, the forced conversion, and above all the genius which surfaced quite early. Rambam mastered whole worlds of Jewish texts , held them in his mind . And this enabled him to create his vast works of syncretic scholarship, most notably the work still studied and of great significance today , 'The Mishneh Torah'. Nuland provides a good understanding of the basic meaning of and history of 'The Mishnah Torah'. However in confronting Rambam's philosophical masterpiece "Guide to the Perplexed" Nuland is somewhat less understanding and appreciative. In assessing Rambam's overall historical signifiance Nuland writes this telling analysis of why Rambam is held in such great importance by Jews to this very day. " it is the iconic memory of a man whose life was devoted to the continuity of the Jewish people. - From the letter to the Jews of Fez written when he was twenty- four years old , to his labors until the hour of his death as his community's acknowledged leader ,he devoted the totality of his prodigious talents to the preservation of the community of the Jews everywhere."

An essential set of insights.

Students of ancient or Jewish history will find MAIMONIDES an important biographical study, telling of a rabbi, physician and philosopher whose works blended science with spirituality, and who has served as a model for Jewish doctors since the 12th century. Chapters provide a focus on Maimonides' works and perspective with an eye to drawing connections to the modern world, and make for an essential set of insights. Diane C. Donovan California Bookwatch

A Hero for Our Time

The great philosopher, physician and leader is brought vividly to life by Sherwin Nuland, himself a writer-physician. Although this is a relatively brief book, it touches on all the points of Maimonides's life with authority and clarity. Nuland positions his subject's writings within the issues of his time and ours. With a well-annotated bibliography this is a fine entry into a fascinating life.