14478
Advanced seminar
How Maimonides' Mishneh Torah Transformed Jewish Law
Lukas Mühlethaler
Comments
We examine how Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah transformed the structure and scope of Jewish law to understand why it sparked such controversy when it was completed and circulated in 1180. Intended as a comprehensive and self-sufficient code of law, the Mishneh Torah broke from earlier traditions of halakhic writing by omitting sources and offering definitive rulings across all areas of law, from ritual to ethics to political theory. While some hailed the work as a masterpiece of legal clarity and philosophical coherence, others saw it as an audacious challenge to rabbinic consensus and the centrality of Talmud study. The course focuses on readings of key sections and analysis of the work's reception across centuries. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required, but students with reading knowlege of Hebrew are encouraged to engage with the plain but elegant Hebrew of Maimonides’ Code. close
16 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Mon, 2025-10-13 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-10-20 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-10-27 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-11-03 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-11-10 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-11-17 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-11-24 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-12-01 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-12-08 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2025-12-15 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2026-01-05 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2026-01-12 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2026-01-19 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2026-01-26 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2026-02-02 12:00 - 14:00
Mon, 2026-02-09 12:00 - 14:00