Maimonides at Work: A Rabbi鈥檚 Workday in Medieval Egypt
Part of the learning series,鈥淪ix Days Shall You Labor鈥�: Perspectives on Work in Jewish Text and Tradition
Toward the end of his life, Maimonides received a request from his translator and admirer in France: to come and visit the great rabbi and discuss with him the important matter of translating his most sensitive work,The Guide of the Perplexed. In response, Maimonides waves off Samuel IbnTibbon, the translator, recounting how busy he is.The correspondence between Maimonides and his translatoris rich in detail, providing insight into Maimonides鈥檒ife as a renowned rabbi in medieval Egyptas well as theeconomic life of Jews in Fatimid Egypt during that time.
But Maimonides was not always so busy: the story of his brother David, a successful merchant who once supported the family, tells of a different route to earning a livelihood. These two, intertwined models of working life are also a means of exploring how medieval rabbis navigated making a living while also studying and teaching, as well as how they were able to produce the great works they have handed down to us.
With 91快播 alumDr. Tamar Marvin.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Many of us spend more time at work than anywhere else over the course of our lives鈥攂ut are we defined by what we do? In this text-based series, 91快播 scholars will explore ideas about the meaning of work and rest in Jewish tradition, Jewish social movements around work, as well as the roles that gender, geography, and shifting economic and social circumstances have played in Jews鈥� professional paths and our understandings of the meaning and value of work.
