Reasons for the Commandments as Contemplative Practice in Maimonides

Bibliographic Data

ID5349178
AuthorsDon Seeman (corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume103
Issue3
Pages298-327
Publication date2013-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Jewish Quarterly Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-6682 • E-ISSN: 1553-0604
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jqr.2013.0019
OpenAlexW2036908152
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited18

Reasons for the commandments or ta'ame ha-mitsvot are among the most controversial aspects of Moses Maimonides' expansive literary corpus. This article does not consider the specific content of Maimonides' reasons for the commandments, but focuses instead on the structural importance of this theme to his broader oeuvre. In Sefer ha-mitsvot, Maimonides argues that reflection upon the divine wisdom manifest in the commandments leads to contemplative pleasure and love of God. I argue that this passage provides an important but frequently overlooked key to Maimonides' later discussion of this theme in his Guide of the Perplexed. In particular, I argue that Maimonides' reflection upon reasons for the commandments must be understood in light of the Aristotelian mandate to contemplate virtue and virtuous acts. While other writers developed ta'ame ha-mitsvot in an apologetic vein, Maimonides treats reflection upon the reasons for the commandments as a full-blown philosophical and contemplative practice contributing to human perfection and love of God

Art · Contemplation · Epistemology · Literature · Ten Commandments · Theme (computing) · Theology · Families in Therapy and Culture · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · Medieval and Classical Philosophy · Philosophy

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