Maimonides Confrontation with Mysticism

B"H

Jews and non - Jews

Many Jewish texts claim differences between Jews and Gentiles. Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi made the distinction several times in his "Kuzari", and the Rambam (Maimonides) argued in his "Epistle of Yemen" the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are the community of Israel. They received the Torah.

Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi even made the claim that Jews by birth are superior to Gentiles and converts to Judaism. This concept is also mentioned in the Zohar and by the Ramban (Nachmanides).

The Rambam (Maimonides), however, rejects this idea:
"Human beings are human beings".

As we all know the Rambam adds his favourite concepts of the "intellect": "Humans are born with a potential to learn. We are born with different capacities to learn and to know. If we frail to actualize our intellectual potential, that capacity with which we were born is wasted, and nothing survives the death of our body". Human beings can grasp significant truths. This kind of ability is called "potential intellect". The Rambam made it clear that only the actual intellect survives death.

One of my problems with his opinion is how he differentiated "intellect" and "knowledge" ? Does any knowledgeable person always have to be that intelligent ? I can have lots of knowledge but am I using it in an intellect way ? Does being intelligent only stands for a great mind ?

Furthermore, the Rambam explained why the soul can survive the death of a body: "This form of the soul is not destroyed, as it does not require physical life for its activities. It knows and apprehends the intelligences that exist without material substance; it knows the Creator of all things and it endures forever".
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Maimonides Confrontation with Mysticism

By Menachem Kellner (Professor of Jewish Thought at Haifa University)