The Soul of Maimonides: Knowledge, Love, and Ethics (Seminar #1)

With Dr. Bernie Steinberg

How are Knowledge, Love, and Ethics organically related? Why does this dynamic matter, especially today?

Philosopher, legal scholar, judge, physician, and communal leader, Moses Maimonides’ (1138-1204) was a spiritual bridge builder who combined rigorous intellectual thought, profound emotional insight, and broad practical life-experience.

In this three-session series, (December 1, 8, and 15), we will explore the soul of Maimonides, the heart of his teaching that drove, energized and unified his thought as a whole: the mutually reinforcing interaction between knowledge, love, and ethics.

To this end, with an eye toward contemporary relevance, we shall discuss such questions as:

What is truth—a universal concept—in a specifically Jewish world-view?
Why and how does it matter today?
What does it mean to be a mensch, to be human Jewishly?
What is the relation between theology, human character, & ethical action?
What makes Jewish leadership Jewish?
What is the purpose of a Jewish state?