[Avodah] The Rambam, rationalism and mysticism

[Richard Wolpoe]

On 9/24/07, David Riceman <driceman at att.net> wrote:
>
> Celejar (or possibly RAF?) wrote:
>
> > R. Abraham Maimonides says very flattering things about the Sufis (IIRC
> he describes them as, of his contemporaries, the closest in behavior to the
> Biblical prophets).  I don't know to what extent his father agreed with that
> opinion, but he's very careful never actually to disagree with his father.
>
> David Riceman
> _______________________________________________
>

I don't know if R. Avraham disagreed with his father or not but his bent
towards Sui'ism is seen as a break from his father's philosophy.

Or to frame it another way, R. Avraham's hashkafa migth have been 180
degrees differnet from his father but he did not necesarily rebel against
his father nor did he see his father WRONG in any way. He just might have
needed a different derech for himself.

And he might have even defended his father's position [both Hlachically and
Hashkafically] w/o  agreeing with  him on the overall approach.

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AISI in general, the Rambam - as a religious persons believing in a
Transcendent God and and an immortal soul MUST have had elements of
Mysticism in his outlook. He just did not have  a mystical system akin to
"Qabblah". I am confident he saw Transcendental themes in the Merkava
literature etc.

He probably simply did not believe in MAGIC, that miracles literally
happened like changing vinegar to oil willy-nilly on this plane.

Thre is a sugya in Yoma re: the mistake of seeing Moonbeams in the morning
and confusing it wtih Dawn. IIRC The Gemara [or the rishonim] reject that
event as being on Yom Kippur since the Moon is not in the proper position on
the 10th of the month to affect this phenomenon. I have always wondered: To
those who see "magical" stuff all the time in the Talmud, why not say that
this one incident MIRACULOUSLY happened on the 10th of Tishre? After all It
is a  better read into the Mishna in Yoma to presume that the g'zeria was
dealing with YK!  So what if it is astronomically impossible?

This kind of Magical read into the story I believe is what the Rambam
rejects.  The idea of
a Navi connecting in a "gnostic" way with God is an entirely other matter.

Gmar Tov
Best Wishes for 5768,
RabbiRichWolpoe at Gmail.com
Please Visit:
http://nishmablog.blogspot.com/
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