Monthly Archives: febrero 2025

After a long wandering, Maimonides finally settled in Fustat, a city near Cairo, in 1168. The Jews were doing well in Egypt, living in peace with their Muslim neighbors and belonging to what we would call the middle class today. … Seguir leyendo →

Maimonides was born in Cordoba in 1135, at the end of the golden age of Spanish Judaism. At an early age he developed a marked interest in science and philosophy. He read Greek philosophers in Arabic translations and immersed himself … Seguir leyendo →

From a strictly historical point of view, the Talmud was never finished, never officially declared finished, without the need for additional commentary. The Bible, comparatively, went through different stages of compilation and redaction, but eventually it was completed and it … Seguir leyendo →

Fanaticism is excessive zeal in religious matters and is especially serious when directed toward others. Judaism, like other religions, has had to face the problem of how to achieve the balance between complete loyalty, carried out with enthusiasm and conviction, … Seguir leyendo →

It is very difficult to study any part of the Tanach without mentioning Rashi’s commentaries. No one else has had such a profound impact on Jewish studies over the past thousand years as he did. In addition to his commentaries … Seguir leyendo →

Like Europeans in general, Jews were deeply affected by the spread of printing. Especially in the 16th and 17th, centuries this phenomenon had a democratizing effect. With printed books cheaper than manuscripts, more sections of the population, besides the scholars … Seguir leyendo →

In 11th century Germany, Jewish merchants would travel for their profession to Muslim Spain, North Africa or the East and would be away for years, leaving their wives and children without support and sometimes with only the support of the … Seguir leyendo →

Rabbi David Hartman, in his book “From Defender to Critic,” comments that from a religious point of view, the creation of the Universe and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai are undoubtedly the two most significant moments described … Seguir leyendo →

In the 7th and 8th centuries, the Arabs conquered the Persian Empire, the territories in Asia and North Africa that were part of the Byzantine Empire, and finally the rest of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Most of these … Seguir leyendo →

It is proven that synagogues already existed in the time of the Second Temple, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, and were intended for public prayers. We know this from the writings of Philo of Alexandria and Josephus Flavius, … Seguir leyendo →