DELVE DEEPER CLASS | Moses Maimonides: Rabbi, Philosopher, and Community Leader

Join us this Fall as we get a sense of Maimonides’ mindset, life, and cultural world in this Delve Deeper adult education course taught by Alan Verskin, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, University of Rhode Island.

Thursdays from 7:30-9:30pm         
9/8/22 - 12/15/22       No class: 9/29, 10/6, 11/24

In this course, we will read Maimonides’ works closely to get a sense of his mindset, life, and cultural world. We will explore and discuss his concepts of God, his understanding of the purpose of the commandments, his ideas about the distinctions between Jews and non-Jews, and his theory of scriptural interpretation. We will read from his enigmatic philosophical work, The Guide of the Perplexed, and explore why it was simultaneously so influential and so controversial. We’ll read from his summation of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah, a book that Maimonides hoped would make legal study widely accessible. Finally, we will also look at Maimonides’ responses to letters written to him from across the Jewish world that ask for his help in solving a variety of personal and communal problems, many of which still resonate today. This class will have twelve meetings instead of the usual ten
for Delve Deeper courses.

To register, click here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Morty Miller at mortymiller1945@gmail.com.

Delve Deeper programs are presented in cooperation with the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and area synagogues including: Congregation Beth Sholom, Temple Beth-El, Temple Emanu-El, Temple Habonim, Temple Sinai, and Temple Torat Yisrael.