By Sheila Orysiek
SAN DIEGO — Thank goodness for an author like Joel L. Kraemer! His book Maimonides, the Life and World of one of Civilization’s Greatest Minds,” (Doubleday Publishers, 2008) is not the heavy dense tome one would normally expect when delving into the life and work of this towering legend of a man. The book is readable (easy on the eyes) accessible (the opposite of obscure) and, yes, meaningful even to a humble reader such as I. One doesn’t have to inhabit the upper levels of academic philosophic heaven to gain a satisfying understanding of Maimonides – the man, his work, as well as the time and world which he inhabited and his place therein.
Most of the material is drawn from the primary sources found in the Genizah (attic) of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Cairo.* Included in that treasure trove are over five hundred responsa from Maimonides to the queries sent to him from Jewish communities and learning centers throughout the Diaspora. There are also letters he exchanged with his beloved brother and other important documents.
He earned his daily bread as a physician and scientist and gained fame in those spheres as well. However, just as the rest of the Jewish community, he, too, was a member of a beleaguered minority both in Spain where he was born and in Egypt, where he sought refuge and lived. Maimonides is presented as a living man; his lifestyle, his problems and his challenges. Kraemer connects the genius and the man, giving the reader a rounder view of the legendary name.
*A review of “The Sacred Treasure of the Cairo Genizah” by Rabbi Mark Glickman, was published by San Diego Jewish World.com on June 6, 2014.
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Orysiek is a freelance writer who specializes in arts and literature. Comments may be made in the space provided below this article or sent to the author at sheila.orysiek@sdjewishworld.com