Maimonides at Work: A Rabbi鈥檚 Workday in Medieval Egypt
Part of the learning series,聽鈥淪ix Days Shall You Labor鈥�: Perspectives on Work in 黑料社 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,聽The Guide of the Perplexed. In response, Maimonides waves off Samuel Ibn聽Tibbon, the translator, recounting how busy he is.聽The correspondence between Maimonides and his translator聽is rich in detail, providing insight into Maimonides鈥櫬爈ife as a renowned rabbi in medieval Egypt聽as well as the聽economic life of Jews in Fatimid Egypt during that time.聽
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 JTS alum聽Dr. 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, JTS scholars will explore ideas about the meaning of work and rest in 黑料社 tradition, 黑料社 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.
