Prophecy and the unique stature of Moshe Rabbenu

The prohibition to erase or destroy the written name of G-d

Kiddush Ha-shem and Chilul Ha-shem

The four elements, matter and form, the human soul

The structure of the cosmos

The mitzvot to love G-d and to fear Him

Belief in the existence and unity of G-d

We conclude our introduction to the Mishneh Torah by describing the Rambam's original and ingenious system of classification of Jewish Law. We explain what each of the 14 books of the Mishneh Torah is about and which areas of halakha are discussed in each one.

The fourth of five introductory shiurim to the Mishneh Torah. The Rambam's introduction contains a full list of all 613 mitzvot, and essentially repeats it twice. Why does this list appear here at all, and why the repetition? What led the Rambam to engage in the endeavor of counting mitzvot at all? We explore the answers to all these questions.

The third of five introductory shiurim to the Mishneh Torah. We discuss the reaction of contemporaries, especially the Raavad, to the publication of the Mishneh Torah and what feature of the Rambam's magnum opus drew the most criticism. We explain how this critique led to the explosion of commentaries on the Mishneh Torah (the nos'ei keilim), and become acquainted with some of the most important of these.