“Maimonides ”

Human Rights

Article concerning human rights, their essence and the contents of various fundamental rights as reflected in the sources of Jewish Law and Israel's Basic Laws... read article

The Zohar and Kabbalah

The origin and meaning of the Kabbalistic book known as the Zohar... read article

Timeline for the History of Judaism

Timeline for the history of Judaism... read article

Abraham Jonah Jewnin

JEWNIN, ABRAHAM JONAH (1813–1848), Russian talmudist, born in Parichi, province of Minsk. Abraham settled in Grodno, where he remained until his death. Despite his premature death he achieved renown as an outstanding scholar. He wrote novellae on the Sefer ha-Mitzvot of Maimonides under the title Makhshevet Moshe, part of which appears in the Vilna 1866 edition of the Sefer ha-Mitzvot, and other parts in the Warsaw 1882 edition of the Mishneh Torah... read article

Adrian Kantrowitz

KANTROWITZ, ADRIAN (1918– ), U.S. cardiovascular surgeon born in New York City. He graduated as an M.D. from Western Reserve University (1943). After training in cardiovascular physiology, he became director of surgical services at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn and professor of surgery at New York State University (1964–70), and chairman of the department of surgery at Sinai Hospital, Detroit (1970). He was also director of the biotechnology company LVAD of Detroit. He was a pioneer in bioengineering relating to the heart and cardiovascular surgery... read article

Jesse ben Hezekiah

JESSE BEN HEZEKIAH (13th century), "exilarch of all the Diasporas of Israel" in *Damascus. Jesse is known for his participation in the controversy over the writings of *Maimonides, which broke out during the 1290s as a result of the activities of Solomon Petit, the leader of the kabbalists in *Acre. He signed the ban against the opponents of Maimonides in 1286. He was possibly a descendant of Josiah (Hassan), the brother of the exilarch *David ben Zakkai, a contemporary of Saadiah Gaon. BIBLIOGRAPHY: S. Poznański, Babylonische Geonim im nachgaonaeischen Zeitalter (1914), 123f.; Mann, in: Sefer Zikkaron… S.A... read article

Damīra

DAMĪRA, city in Lower Egypt. A Jewish community existed there during the Middle Ages, which is mentioned in 11th- and 12th-century Genizah documents. It seems that *David b. Daniel first settled in this city when he arrived in Egypt. About 100 years later Maimonides addressed himself to the Jews of Damīra in a general letter to the communities of the Delta. The 12th-century traveler *Benjamin of Tudela stated that there were 700 Jews in this city; it was thus the third largest community in Egypt, after those of Cairo and Alexandria. However, the accuracy of this report is dubious because of the scarcity of documents concerning the city... read article

Otto Neugebauer

NEUGEBAUER, OTTO (1899–1990), scientific historian and mathematician. Neugebauer was born in Innsbruck, Austria, and studied mathematics at the University of Gottingen where he later became a staff member. The Nazis forced him to leave in 1933, first to Copenhagen and in 1939 for Brown University in the United States, where he immediately became a citizen. Neugebauer started his career as a mathematician and later became the foremost authority on Babylonian mathematics and mathematical astronomy throughout the ancient world, in Islamic countries, and in medieval and Renaissance Europe... read article

Israel Frederick Fischer

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Albert Berger Rossdale

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Judah Leib ben Hillel of Schwersenz

JUDAH LEIB BEN HILLEL OF SCHWERSENZ (17th century), rabbi of Schwersenz (Posen). He was the author of Ḥakham Lev (Fuerth, 1693), a short commentary on the 613 biblical and rabbinical precepts according to the Mishneh Torah by Maimonides and the Sefer Mitzvot Gadol by *Moses b. Jacob of Coucy. A Latin translation was published (Lund, 1731) with notes by Karl Schulten. In his apologia in the introduction to Ḥakham Lev, the author points out that he dealt only briefly with precepts of practical application which are to be found in the Shulḥan Arukh, but at greater length with laws which have no practical application... read article

Isadore Twersky

TWERSKY, ISADORE (1930–1997), scholar and teacher. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of R. Meshullam Zalman Twersky (Tolnaer Rebbe), a member of the well-known ḥasidic dynasty, Twersky was ordained as a rabbi by the Isaac Elchanan Yeshiva (University). At Harvard University he earned a bachelor's degree in 1952, a master's in 1953, and a doctorate in 1956. He became a faculty member at Harvard in 1956 as professor of Hebrew literature and philosophy, and chairman of the Department of Near Eastern Languages from 1965. He served as director of Harvard's Center for Jewish Studies from 1978 to 1993... read article

Jacob Isaac Ruderman

RUDERMAN, JACOB ISAAC (1901–1987), U.S. rosh yeshivah. Ruderman was born in Dologinovo (Delhinov), Russia, and in his youth was known as the "Delhinov illui." He studied under the rabbis Moses Epstein and Nathan Ẓevi Finkel in Slobodka, and was ordained in 1926. In 1930 he arrived in the United States, and joined the faculty of the yeshivah previously established by his father-in-law, R. Sheftel Kramer, in New Haven, which soon moved to Cleveland. In 1933, Ruderman became rabbi of Congregation Tifereth Israel in Baltimore, where he organized the Ner Israel Rabbinical College... read article

Pe'ot

PE'OT (Heb. פֵּאוֹת; lit. "corners"), sidelocks grown in accordance with the prohibition of the Torah that "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads" (Lev. 19:27). The Talmud has interpreted this to mean that it is forbidden to "level the growth of hair on the temple from the back of the ears to the forehead" (Mak. 20b). The hair in this area may not be completely removed even with depilatory powder, scissors, or an electric shaver which may be used in shaving the face (see *Beard and Shaving)... read article

Judah Leib Miesis

MIESIS, JUDAH LEIB (1798–1831), leading member of the Galician Haskalah movement in the early 19th century. Born in Lvov, to a wealthy, prominent family, Miesis received a broad general education as well as a traditional Jewish one. His home was a meeting place for young maskilim, whom he encouraged and helped, and to whom he made available his large library. His first literary effort was the publication of a new edition of David *Caro's Tekhunat ha-Rabbanim (1822). Miesis' main work is Kinat ha-Emet ("The Zeal for Truth," 1823; 2nd ed... read article

Damanhur, Egypt

DAMANHŪR, name of several Egyptian cities in the Middle Ages. One Damanhūr is referred to by Maimonides in his responsa as a major community in Egypt at his time. He together with other dayyanim decreed that anybody could marry or divorce a woman in Damanhūr without the permission of Rabbi Halfon (Bar Ula), the dayyan of Damanhūr. It would appear that the reference is to the present Damanhūr, which is the principal city of the Buḥayra province. This Jewish community remained in existence until modern times... read article

Simon Eppenstein

EPPENSTEIN, SIMON (1864–1920), German rabbi and scholar. Eppenstein was born in Krotoszyn, Poland, and served as rabbi at Briesen (West Prussia) 1889–1911, and thereafter was lecturer in Jewish history and Bible exegesis at the Berlin Rabbinical Seminary. As an early supporter of religious Zionism (Mizrachi), he conducted some of his lectures at the Seminary in Hebrew... read article

Nethanel ben Moses Ha-Levi

NETHANEL BEN MOSES HA-LEVI (12th century), gaon and rosh yeshivah in *Cairo. Nethanel inherited his position from his father Moses and according to documents of the Cairo *Genizah, he held this position from 1160 to 1170. At that time, the role and the authority of the Cairo rosh yeshivah increased to a considerable extent because, after the death of *Samuel b. Hananiah, the position of the *nagid was weakened as a result of the activities of *Zuta. Nethanel appointed judges and other religious officials in all the communities of Egypt and he headed the great bet din. He received a letter of ordination from R. *Daniel b... read article

Gershon Ḥanokh (Henikh) ben Jacob Leiner

Biography of ?asidic rebbe Gershon ?anokh (Henikh) ben Jacob Leiner... read article

Philip Birnbaum

BIRNBAUM, PHILIP (1904–1988), U.S. author and translator. Birnbaum was born in Zamowiec, Poland, and immigrated to the United States in 1923. He attended Howard College and completed a Ph.D. degree at Dropsie College. In 1942, he published his dissertation, a critical, scientific edition of the Arabic commentary of the Karaite Yefet Ben Ali, on the Book of Hosea. Birnbaum's edition of Yefet Ben Ali's work was edited from eight manuscripts and included an English language introduction, a translation into Hebrew of the Arabic original, and critical notes on the text... read article