Showing posts with label Maimonides. Show all posts

The Eight Chapters - Chapter Four (Part 1)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Four (Part 1)

We'd learned that a healthy Spirit is one that's "predisposed to doing good, benevolent and comely things" while an ill Spirit is "predisposed to doing bad, harmful and disgraceful things". Now, needless to say, that leaves a lot up in the air. What sorts of things are in fact "good, benevolent and comely" and which are "bad, harmful and disgraceful"?

Our tradition has long laid out just what's ethically and spiritually "good" and "bad", but that's not at all what Rambam is referring to here. For he dedicated the full thrust of his magnum opus "Mishne Torah" to explicating just that, setting out there which actions we're to take and which to avoid in a halachic context. His point here, though, isn't about that so much as about the caliber and character of our good deeds.

For while all good deeds are good, by definition -- some are ... better. And it's incumbent upon us to know what sets them apart from the others if we're ever going to achieve the sort of piety and spiritual excellence this work challenges us to achieve.

Rambam contends that our deeds are truly good when "they lie midway between two extremes, both of which are bad -- one because it goes too far, and the other because it doesn’t go far enough". And he adds that our "dispositions are 'virtuous' when they lie midway between two bad dispositions, one of which is excessive, and the other of which is inadequate".

In other words, we're off the mark both if we don't quite go far enough in our efforts to be righteous or if we go too far. And our dispositions or characters can be too extreme or too subdued. That's to say that we're to fine-tune our makeup and strive for equibalance throughout. That all obviously calls for a lot of explanation, which Rambam will indeed offer in the course of this chapter; but let's allow the points to stand as they are for now.

Rambam then offers as an aside the fact that too extreme or too subdued dispositions foster too extreme or too subdued actions. All that means to say is that our deeds are directly linked to the quality of our character, as most know; but the implication is that we'd need to hone our character en toto in order to improve our ways.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter Three (Part 3)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Three (Part 3)

Now, many otherwise fine and unimpeachable people are fools, the truth be known. They suspect that something about them is in disrepair and doesn't square with who they want to be, but they do nothing about it. They even rationalize how actually *right* they are not to change, and they're satisfied with that. For as Solomon the wise put it, "The fool’s ways are blameless in his own eyes" (Proverbs 12:15).

"But ...", Solomon then offers, no matter how true that is, it's nonetheless also true that, " ... one who takes counsel is a sage" (ibid.). That's to say that there's indeed a way a headstrong person like that can change -- by taking any advice the sort of Spirit-healer we'd cited before would offer him.

Impartial, learned, and caring only for your well-being, such a person would set you straight if you're in that situation. He or she would point out where and how you had in fact come to "imagine bad ... to be good, and good ... to be bad", and would offer what you'd need to do to get back on course.

And that's just the sort of advice Rambam himself will provide us with in the next pivotal chapter.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter Three (Part 2)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Three (Part 2)

We live in a cynical, distrusting age in which everything is suspect and little seems assured. Let anyone in authority say something -- nearly anything -- and he or she is immediately open to question. Yet we're usually quick to see a doctor if we're ill, and while we might ask for a second opinion or challenge particulars, as a rule we succumb to a doctor's advice in the end.

Now, what doctors do, at bottom, is determine just what's wrong, tell us how to treat it, and advise us about changes we might have to make in the future. The doctor might, for example, warn us not to eat this or that or to avoid doing certain things that we'd like to go on with, or to do or ingest things we'd rather not. And while we might cringe or avoid following orders at first, when we do though, we (generally) find ourselves feeling better and are glad we assented.

In much the same way then we're counseled to go to a sage -- a healer of the Spirit -- when our Spirit is unwell and our very being is off-kilter; when as we said above, we "imagine sweet things to be bitter, and bitter things to be sweet", i.e., when we make poor ethical and spiritual choices, and "imagine bad ... to be good, and good ... to be bad".

Along the same lines as the above instance, a sage will then determine just what's wrong in our Spirits, tell us how to treat it, and advise us about changes we'd need to make on whole other levels. And we'd be wise to acquiesce.

But sometimes we just don't know when our Spirit is off, or we refuse to submit to treatment since we'd have to change one way or another, and our inner-inertia gets the best of us. We're warned here though that while we might think at least we wouldn't have affected our health and well-being, in truth spiritual mediocrity can be fatal, too! And that in the end we'll be glad we decided to heed a sage's warning.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter Three (Part 1)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Three (Part 1)

What is "health" exactly? Is it merely the state in which each part of us runs well and is on equal footing with every other part -- or is that simply "well-being"? Is health a sense of robustness, vigor, and might -- or is that only heartiness (since the truth be known we could be harboring some terrible disease and still flourish for the longest time)?

As many know, Rambam himself was a physician, and a rather successful and sought-after one at that. He speaks of medicine a number of times in this work and elsewhere in his writings, and even wrote whole medical texts that were studied up to the modern era. Still in all, as he put it here, "the health or illness of the body is something that the art of medicine delves into", and that isn't our concern here. What we'll be delving into is the health of the Spirit.

So, what in fact does it mean to be healthy in Spirit or to have a sound disposition? "A healthy Spirit", Rambam declares, is one that's "predisposed to do ing good, benevolent and comely things" while "an ill Spirit ... is predisposed to doing bad, harmful and disgraceful things." That means to say that good and generous people are healthy, spiritually speaking, while bad and onerous ones are ill.

But a lot could be said about this. For, in truth, one could be partially ill and mostly well, or vice versa; or one could have a dread chronic disease and still manage to function quite well in the world, or suddenly become terribly ill with a simple cold or flu and not be able to function at all. That's to say that we each have faults (illnesses) and virtues (health). And that while some faults are serious and ingrained (chronic), others are lighter and more easily gotten rid of (acute). The wise would want to know the difference and "treat" each accordingly, because both can be debilitating as we pointed out. Rambam will discuss treatment later on, in fact.

There's another important point to consider. It's that when we're ill in Spirit we often think we're healthy and make wrong decisions accordingly. (Some people who are healthy in Spirit think they're ill, on the other hand, and consequently make other sorts of poor judgments. But that's beside our concerns here.)

Rambam then delves into an interesting phenomenon. He points out that "when they’re (physically) ill and their senses are off kilter, people imagine sweet things to be bitter, and bitter things to be sweet". They then "take pleasant things to be unpleasant, and they crave and enjoy things that healthy people would never enjoy". In fact, "they might eat minerals, charcoal, soil, very pungent or sour foods, or other such things that healthy people would find revolting and never want".

In much the same way, he says, "those whose *Spirit* is ill ... likewise imagine bad things to be good, and good things to be bad, and always pursue goals that are actually harmful which they imagine to be good, simply because their Spirit is ill".

So the only way for us to avoid making poor judgments like that is to know the true state of our Spirit and to act accordingly. We'll soon see how we're to do that.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter Two (Part 3)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Two (Part 3)

As everyone knows, the busiest, noisiest, and most complex aspect of our beings is our emotional center. Everything we do, experience, think about, and yearn for passes through it and leaves its mark. Though most are dim and mundane, some of the marks left there are quite stunning and affect us on a very deep, recondite level. The lot of them, though, are the stuff out of which our characters are made.

For as we learned above, our emotions are the one aspect of our Spirit that are most directly related to our ethical and Torah-based choices that touch on character virtues and flaws. (We also learn that our senses, the final aspect of our Spirit, merely feed our emotions, as when we hear something off-putting and either respond angrily or with equanimity, etc.)

Now, there's an overabundance of emotional traits open to us, including but certainly not limited to the ones Rambam will be concentrating on here: temperance, generosity, justice, patience, humility, goodwill, courage, and sensitivity. None is inherently good or bad (though some are better than others), and all can serve either good or bad ends. In any event Rambam's major contention throughout this work is that a character trait is flawed only when it's either overdone or underdone -- when too minimal or exaggerated. We'll delve into this at great length later on.

The underlying point for now, though, is that our free choices are more relevant to our emotions than to any other aspect of our being.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter Two (Part 2)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Two (Part 2)

Those of us in search of spiritual excellence would naturally want to acquire virtues and avoid flaws. But we'd need to define just what true spirit-based virtues and flaws encompass rather than material ones. For while being "good" or "bad" at one's job or social interests, for example, certainly matters, it doesn't touch on our quest.

So we're taught that there are two sorts of virtues and flaws germane here: those touching on our ideas (which obviously affect our intellects) and those relevant to our character (which affect our emotions and senses, as we'll learn). Let's concentrate here on the first. Since we don't tend to think of ideas as being "virtuous" per se (though we do speak of "flawed ideas", interestingly), so we'll just label them "lofty".

Rambam contends that it's lofty to learn how to determine the cause-and- effect relationship between things (i.e., knowing which of these two brought the other about and is thus more significant). It's likewise lofty to hone and purify our reasoning processes, and to think adroitly and swiftly. Contrarily, our thinking, and thus we ourselves, would be flawed if we dwelt on incidentals, if we allowed our minds to stagnate, or if our thinking was muddled and sluggish.

Though he doesn't speak of it until much later in the work, Rambam also maintains that lofty thoughts are ones that are in tune with the ultimate truth about our situation in this world and in a relationship to G-d, and it also has to do with understanding certain truisms about Him.

Without spending too much time on it at this juncture, suffice it to say that those with lofty minds come to know that we're expected to try to grasp as much as we can about G-d; that with notable exception, as we'll see, we've each been granted the freedom to act as we see fit based on our own judgment; and that it would behoove us to use that freedom to draw close to G-d. They also know that though G-d is basically unfathomable in His essence, there are certainly things that we can say about Him from our perspective, including the facts that He's Omniscient and Almighty. But this will be explained as we go along.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter Two (Part 1)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Two (Part 1)

Let's now tie-in some more of what we'd learned about our makeup to our search for spiritual excellence. We'll find that there's a lot more to be said, and that much of it has to do with our free choice -- our sovereign right to make ethical and mitzvah-based decisions on our own.

"It’s important to know" Rambam says, "that all acts of disobedience and obedience mentioned in the Torah" that is, all the sins and mitzvot cited there which we can choose to act on or not, "actually apply to only two parts of your Spirit: your senses and emotions" and not to "your digestive system or imagination" (though they also apply to our minds to some degree, as we'll see).

What that means to say is that, despite what’s commonly thought and widely rationalized, we can indeed decide to adhere to G-d's wishes for us when it comes to our five senses and our emotions. We can truly learn to quash feelings that run counter to G-d's requirements of us by managing to control our anger, squelch our pride, or by becoming magnanimous, for example. And we can likewise manage to avert our eyes or close off our ears in order not to look at or listen to things we shouldn't be concerned with. Even when those things seem to go against the grain.

None of that's beyond us, and most of it comes down to finally and consciously deciding to do it.

We're not free to make ethical choices when it comes to our digestive system or imagination, though. Simply because we can't *decide* to digest one way or another, as those kinds of things tend to happen despite us (though we can in fact help them along medicinally, mechanically, and the like, but that has little to do with ethics per se). Understand of course that we can choose what to eat and drink, which indeed touches on sins and mitzvot, but that's not the point at hand, since those are emotional and sensual decisions, which we learned we have control of.

And we can't decide what thoughts or images are going to occur to us all of a sudden. We can, though, decide to reject or quell the ones that the Torah disallows us, like idolatrous thoughts for example. (The operative point here is that oftentimes in fact "bad thoughts occur to good people", to coin a phrase, but that we can then reject them out of hand, and not at all be blamed for them.)

"There’s some confusion, though, when it comes to the intellect", Rambam avers. Nonetheless he contends that personal choices apply to it as well. Since we can consciously and freely decide to adopt what he terms "sound or unsound" (i.e., good or bad) ideas which then touch upon sins or mitzvot.

As such, we can decide that eating kosher isn't a good idea and fall into that trap easily enough; or contrarily we can decide that it's a good idea and follow through on that. It's just that "the intellect (itself) can’t do anything per se that can be said to be either a mitzvah or a sin", so on that level the intellect itself can't be culpable for anything, only the person who uses his or her intellect to do wrong.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter One (Part 4)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 4)

Rambam ends this chapter by declaring rather cryptically that our Spirit is "a sort of matter whose form is reason". And he adds -- quite dauntingly -- that "if the Spirit never achieves its form, then its aptitude to achieve it would have been for naught, and its existence worthless". But, what does that mean?

He allows for the fact "there’s a lot to say about form and matter" and reason, too, but then he contends that "(The Eight Chapters) isn’t the place for it", since none of that has to do with character growth (on the face of it, at least) which is the subject at hand.

Now while we'd have to concede that a lot of this doesn't really matter when it comes to our character traits, nonetheless it's certainly relevant to spiritual excellence. So we'll do what we can to explain it all with that in mind, point by point.

First off, it's important to know that while we ourselves still use terms like "matter", "form", and "reason", nonetheless the ancients whom Rambam is drawing from (like Aristotle and others) understood them differently than we. What we'll try to do is apply them to our experience and understand them in a spiritual context.

"Matter" is the material *stuff* things are made of, and their “form” is some invisible, some might say "magical" element within things that gives them their definition and meaning. A painting's "matter", for example, is nothing more than the host of colors that make up the contents of the canvas. What makes it an actual "painting" in the end is the form and definition that all those color take. In much the same way, we're each little more than a wad of flesh and bones who only become a “real live” person by virtue of our “form” or defining Spirit.

So when Rambam says that our Spirit is "a sort of matter whose form is reason" he means to say that what defines us as humans is our ability to reason -- not our emotions or our actions per se, though they certainly count. And that's so because it's our ability to reason that enables us to choose growth over stagnation, spiritual excellence over spiritual mediocrity. The other parts of our being -- the rest of our matter -- feeds into that; but what gives life to our spiritual choices is our rational mind. (Understand, of course, that Rambam isn't mentioning our immortal soul simply because it too doesn't touch upon the subject at hand.)

And his remark that "if the Spirit never achieves its form, then its aptitude to achieve it would have been for naught, and its existence worthless" implies that if we don't hone our mind and use it toward personal betterment, then we might as well not have been granted the ability to reason. For while the mind certainly allows us to function and grow on many, many levels, at bottom we're to grow in our beings and spirits; and if we don't use our mind's ability to reason toward that end, then our lives would have been tragically ineffectual.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter One (Part 3)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 3)

Let’s return now to our subject at hand: an exploration of the parts of the human Spirit in order to know what we're all about and how we can change for the better. As we'd said, our one Spirit is comprised of five component parts: the digestive system, the senses, the imagination, the emotions, and the intellect.

Now, as most of us know, in Rambam's words, "the digestive system encompasses the processes of ingestion, retention, digestion per se, excretion of waste, growth, procreation, and metabolism". We obviously won't be getting into the physiology and biology involved, since that's beside our point. And it's also well known that our senses include the senses of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. What *will* concern us about these, though, is the role they play in our free choices, which we'll discuss later on.

What's less known or perhaps less thought about is the make-up of our imaginations. Rambam defines it as "the capacity to retain impressions of experiences (in our minds) when they’re out of range of the senses involved, and to compare and contrast some to others", which is straightforward enough.

But the imagination is also what enables us to "combine certain experiences (we'd) had along with others (we'd) never had nor ever could", which is significant for our subject. Because it's this aspect of our imagination that can get us into trouble. For it sometimes enables us to "imagine" what isn't there, rather than "envision" what very well could be, but isn't yet. The distinction will prove to be vital when it comes to using our imaginations toward personal growth.

Our emotions, as we all know, "encompass the capacity to either love something or despise it", or feel somewhere in between about it. What's especially significant about our emotions, though, when it comes to our spiritual well being is that it’s also "the capacity that enables (us) to seek something out or avoid it, to be sympathetic toward something or have reservations about it, and to become angry or satisfied, fearful or brave, cruel or compassionate, loving or hateful, and the like". That's to say that it's our emotions that have us *react* one way or another to what's before us, and it's often enough under our control. This will matter a lot when it comes to acting out on our impulses or not, as we'll see.

Our intellect also affects the way we react to things, since it encompasses our ability to "reason, speculate, acquire knowledge, and differentiate between good and bad behavior". It's just that, as most of us know, intellect-based reactions tend to be more dispassionate and detached. And this too will play an important role in our search for spiritual excellence.

The intellect, of course, also has more practical applications in that it enables us to "acquire skills like carpentry, agriculture, medicine, or navigation" and the like, and it also allows us to "think about when to do something (we'd) like to do, whether it’s feasible or not, and how to do it", but that's basically besides our concerns here.

Rambam then treads very delicately upon a rather recondite idea about the Spirit, as we'll see.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter One (Part 2)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 2)

Let's delve into our beings now by beginning to explore the five parts of our Spirit as Rambam depicts them.

But first it's important for our purposes to understand that we'll be discussing our own, the human, Spirit rather than animals', plants', or other entities' spirits. For while each and every thing has the sort of unique impelling, animating force we're talking about, we're interested in knowing what makes *us* "tick" in order to grow.

Besides, "the human digestive system, for one, isn’t the same as a horse or donkey’s" as Rambam points out, which is also true of the other parts of the Spirit aside from the digestive system. Since we humans "are nourished by the human digestive system, while donkeys are nourished by the donkey digestive system", and other entities are nourished by theirs.

Now, that's clear enough and no one would argue with the matter, but Rambam then steps aside to make a very important point.

He says that even though "the term 'digestion' is used for all three, ... (nevertheless) the different systems are only analogous to each other and the terms don’t refer to the same thing." That means to say that even though we, animals, and plants are all said to "digest" things in order to function and grow, still and all, animals' and plants' digestive systems are different from ours, and they're all only called by the same name for the sake of convenience. (Have patience, though; we'll soon see what all this has to do with spiritual growth.)

He'd have us compare the three different digestive systems to "three dark rooms, the first of which was illuminated by sunlight, the second by moonlight, and the third by candlelight". The point is that even though all three rooms can be said to be “illuminated”, in fact "the source and generator of light in the first (room) was the sun, the second was the moon, and the third was a flame."

"In much the same way," Rambam continues (while drawing closer to our spiritual well-being), "what generates human senses is a human Spirit, what generates a donkey’s is a donkey Spirit", etc., and "the only thing they have in common is an analogous term" -- i.e., they're all said to be kept alive by a Spirit. Now, this obviously isn't the place to discuss human versus animal or vegetable digestion and nutrition, but suffice it to say that Rambam's overarching statement is that sometimes the very same term is used for two or more very different, though similar things.

But why would Rambam consider it necessary to make that point? It comes down to this: He'll be differentiating between different instances of goodness, (spiritual and ethical) health, piety and the like in the course of this work. For you see, one of his central themes here is the idea that we really don't understand what's good, healthy, and pious; so we'd need to differentiate between good and bad instances of each if we're ever to be truly spiritually excellent. That's also to say that we're not to fall for appearances. For, since our spiritual makeup often isn't what it seems to be, it's essential for us to avoid applying terms lightly.

For while some derive their *so-called* goodness, health, and piety from "candlelight" (to use the above illustration), meaning to say, from synthetic sources; and others from "moonlight", meaning to say, from derivative sources; we're expected to derive true goodness, health, and piety from "sunlight" -- from trustworthy, inspired sources.

We'll determine later on, by the way, that this idea also touches on some intriguing things, like our understanding of G-d, on what in this world matters and what doesn't, and the like.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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The Eight Chapters - Chapter One (Part 1)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 1)

What drives us, at bottom? Most would say it's our motivations, dreams, fears, surroundings, and the like. But the truth is that it's our Spirit ("nephesh" in Hebrew) that drives us. But -- what's our spirit after all? The short answer is that it's our psyche, but there's a lot more to it as we'll learn. For one thing, though, it's not the immortal soul that wafts aloft to heaven when we pass (though the two are inexorably linked ... but that's a subject unto itself).

So let's explore the makeup of our Spirit as Rambam explains it and come to see what we're made of along the way.

Rambam is emphatic about the fact that we each only have one Spirit, which nonetheless has many different capacities. He apparently needs to emphasize that since many of the physicians and philosophers who were respected in antiquity claimed that we each have three, termed the "native", "dynamic", and "transcendent" spirits respectively. However, Rambam's larger point is that despite its complexity (which we'll explore) and regardless of our many inner contradictions, we each have only one Spirit.

The truth is even we in modernity tend to think we have more than one Spirit, as when we say things like, "I was *beside* myself" and "I took a deep look inside myself", etc. which seem to imply multiple spirits that are each separate and independent of each other. But the truth is that we're each of one Spirit -- which is decidedly multilayered and dynamic.

Now, it's especially important for us to know that, Rambam emphasizes, since self-refinement and spiritual excellence only come about when one "heals his Spirit and its capacities", and because we can only do that after first becoming familiar enough with the makeup of our Spirit to know what makes its "ill" in the first place and what would then "heal" it.

So we'll have to settle right now for the notion that our one Spirit is comprised of five “component parts”: the digestive system, the senses, the imagination, the emotions, and the intellect. We'll explain that next time.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

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The Eight Chapters - Introduction (Part 2)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters" (Shmoneh Perakim)

Rambam's Introduction (Part 2)

Rambam doesn't claim much credit for what he says here, in fact, stating that he merely collected material from Midrashim, the Talmud, and from other traditional Jewish works, and collated them to suit his purposes. That's a rather modest statement, though, because as anyone who's ever written a research paper, article, or book knows, half the success is based on how wise your choices are and how well you collated them. And "Eight Chapters" excels in both.

So, it would better be said that Rambam *based* the proofs for his contentions on those sources, but that he then formulated a whole new medley in the end that allowed those sources to shine in wholly different ways.

A higher, humbler truth for our purposes, though, is that in the end we really don't do very much more than collate things in our lives. In point of fact, not a lot of what we do or say is original with us so much as an amalgam of what we'd heard or done before, what others whom we admire have said or done, and what G-d has granted us on the spot for His own ends. The wise soul would take that to heart and always keep it in mind.

In any event, Rambam then said something that many wouldn't expect perhaps of so eminent a Jewish scholar as he. He acknowledged citing and even quoting verbatim from the works of certain non-Jewish philosophers and thinkers as well. And he did that, he said, in the firm belief that "we’re to accept truth from whoever utters it".

The fact of his having cited outside sources isn't astonishing unto itself (though it's still not done very often in classical Hebrew texts for various reasons). And Rambam's idea that we're to seek wisdom and truth from anyone isn't all that new, for it has already been pointed out that only someone "who learns from everyone" is wise (Pirke Avot 4:1).

But his point is well taken, because the individuals he cited often said things that are antithetical to the Jewish Faith, and so many Jews would reject *anything* they'd say as a consequence. So rather than not quote them, Rambam decided to; because "all (he) ever wanted to do was help the reader and explain what’s hidden away" in Pirke Avot. He also quoted them in the firm belief that we should indeed be willing to take to heart the true and good that anyone says (while rejecting the bad and false).

But he decided to cite them anonymously. For as he explained, if Rambam mentioned his sources by name, then that "might make a reader who doesn’t accept (that source) think that what he said is harmful or of bad intent" - - even when it wasn't at all, in that context.

The underlying points he seems to be making are, first, that we must all have enough of the proverbial courage of our convictions to say what has to be said for truth's sake; and second, that -- by definition -- truth can never contradict G-d's Torah.

And with that, Rambam provides us all with "Eight Chapters", which is his own guide to spiritual excellence.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Courtesy of Torah.org

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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The Eight Chapters - Introduction (Part 1)

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters" (Shmoneh Perakim)

Rambam's Introduction (Part 1)

Some things are better off said obliquely -- especially things that really matter and can be misunderstood.

Now, that's actually a vital principle behind the transmission of the undying truisms of the Torah. For while what's said in it had to be said, things can nevertheless go wrong if they're misconstrued. So the Torah itself -- and our sages, in their explanations of it -- often speaks figuratively and in a sort of "code".

In fact that's oftentimes true about the most seemingly simple statements made. What does the common Torah expression, "And G-d said, ... " really mean, for example? The idea of G-d actually speaking to humankind is absolutely mind-boggling! Yet we're obviously being made privy to something that we have to know about G-d's intentions for us, even if some of us come to incorrect ideas about His incorporealness as a result. So in a sense the expression "And G-d said" hides more than it reveals.

In any event, Rambam's point here in "Eight Chapters" is that the same holds true of the seemingly straightforward words of Pirke Avot ("The Ethics of the Fathers"). Though what's said there certainly works on a clearly ethical, inspirational level, so much of it nonetheless alludes to deeper, more portentous things than we might have expected. And it touches upon things that very much affect our spiritual status.

Now, since "it fosters great perfection and true good fortune" (i.e., it's a very important means for us to grow in our beings and to draw close to G-d), and because we're taught by our sages that “whoever wants to be pious should live by the words of Pirke Avot“(Babba Kama 30A), and since we know that "other than prophecy, there’s no greater rank than piety", it's clear then that Pirke Avot is saying a lot more than we might think.

But, what exactly is piety? Is it anything more than simple goodness; and if it is, can I achieve it or is it beyond me? Would being pious make me somehow antisocial and aloof, sad and sombre?

And what's prophecy? Is it like being psychic or clairvoyant? Were prophets holy (and what's holy, then)? We know of many prophets from the Torah like Ezekiel, Isaiah, and most especially Moses -- is that what we're talking about? And if it is, then are we somehow expected to be prophets, since prophecy is tied it in with the study of Pirke Avot?

So since so many such questions could be raised it occurred to Rambam that he'd need to offer some background, introductory material to pave the way for his comments to Pirke Avot, otherwise they'd be misunderstood. Hence, these eight chapters.

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Courtesy of Torah.org

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The Eight Chapters - Prologue

Posted by Aryeh

"The Eight Chapters" (Shmoneh Perakim)

Prologue

Rambam actually wrote "Eight Chapters" as a prelude to his comments upon Pirke Avot ("The Ethics of the Fathers"), but it has always been regarded as a seminal work onto itself. A very early composition, "Eight Chapters" lays out themes that Rambam explains in great detail in some of his later works. So it serves as a wonderful introduction to his idea and ideals, and it details very specific ways you and I can indeed achieve spiritual excellence. Here's a running synopsis of the work and a taste of what's to come.

It's in his Introduction that Rambam points out that this work serves as a prelude to his comments upon Pirke Avot, as we'd said. He says there that, though Pirke Avot is a classic and popular work, it's nonetheless hard to follow through on and sometimes hard to understand, "since it touches upon such important, ultimate issues" having to do with piety, which is right below prophecy in spiritual rank. So he took it upon himself to offer this introduction -- the "Eight Chapters".

Chapter 1 sets out to define the human spirit (nephesh), since "improving character amounts to healing the nephesh" and so "it’s important to understand the it the way a doctor understands the body". And Rambam goes to great pains to explain it both on both on a physical and a spiritual level. This will give us great insights into ourselves.

Chapter 2 focuses on the mitzvah-system and lays out how it applies to our beings, and it introduces the idea of there being both intellectual and character flaws.

Chapter 3 defines personal (rather than physical) "health" and "illness" as those instances in which our beings are either well-balanced or off- kilter, and it advises us as to where to go for help once we suspect we're in fact off-kilter.

Chapter 4 is a major and very practical one, and it offers tried and true advice as to how to return ourselves to true balance. Many traits are analyzed as to what's "healthy" and what's "ill" about them (with some surprises). We're told there that "since no one is born with an inherently and utterly virtuous or flawed character, it’s important to tend to your character much the way you’d tend to your body when it goes off kilter", and we're told how to.

Chapter 5 tells each one of us that "aside from subordinating (our) personal capacities" and trying to be the best person we can be, we're to also "strive to comprehend G-d as much as (we) can and to make that (our) life’s goal". We're told what helps as far as that's concerned and also what to avoid.

Chapter 6 investigates the issue of who's better: the person who "subdues his yetzer harah and does good even when he’s not inclined to", thus fighting his nature and winning, or the one who "does good because he’s naturally inclined to" without a struggle.

Chapter 7 explores the makeup and differences between prophets, and we learn there how their characters affected their missions just as much as it affects our own.

And Chapter 8 offers the comforting notion that while "no one is ever born inherently lofty or flawed", still and all "anyone can learn how to counter his disposition." After all, we're all born with the freedom to choose our actions and motivations, "and nothing impels (us) one way or the other". Then Rambam goes into the whole idea of how we can manage to be free in our ethical choices if G-d knows what we're going to opt for in the end (for doesn't that seem to indicate that it's already "in the cards"?).

May G-d grant us the wisdom to be nourished by the great and mighty Rambam's advice and to thus achieve true spiritual excellence!

By Rabbi Yaakov Feldman

Courtesy of Torah.org

For any comments, questions or topic requests, please contact Rabbi Yaakov Feldman.

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About this blog

We’re presented here with a beguiling statement of purpose:
These eight chapters serve as an introduction to a work so full of meaning and so challenging for most that we could hardly plumb its depths without these introductory chapters. It’s as if Rambam were promising to take us through a room so dark and even so daunting, that we’d have to use a very powerful and precise light to see our way through it. Thus, he must first teach us the workings of the special lamp itself before we could even attempt to traverse.

As we’ll see, though, it isn’t clear from the outset just who can be considered pious. In fact, the ideas we might have of what piety is all about are going to be challenged. What makes a person a prophet will also be confronted. Because while we might have our impressions, we really don’t know, and we either under- or overestimate the prophet’s “otherworldliness.”

We’ll notice, too, that Rambam mentions two concepts here that are very foreign to the modern mind: “perfection” and “true good fortune.” How can a person ever be “perfect”? Can one ever be partly perfect and otherwise imperfect? And what is “true good fortune”?

Finally, Rambam humbly refuses to take credit for what he will be saying, for one reason or another, and claims only to be a conduit of others’ wisdom. What we have here, then, is the promise of guidance through layer upon layer of revelation into the human heart, soul, and mind, and a look beyond the ordinary into self-perfection, piety, and prophecy.

Showing posts with label Maimonides. Show all posts

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Four (Part 1)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Three (Part 3)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Three (Part 2)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Three (Part 1)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Two (Part 3)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Two (Part 2)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter Two (Part 1)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 4)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 3)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 2)

"The Eight Chapters"

Shmoneh Perakim

Chapter One (Part 1)

"The Eight Chapters" (Shmoneh Perakim)

Rambam's Introduction (Part 2)

"The Eight Chapters" (Shmoneh Perakim)

Rambam's Introduction (Part 1)

"The Eight Chapters" (Shmoneh Perakim)

Prologue

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