Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism: Secrets of the Guide for the Perplexed

In this eagerly awaited English version of a popular Hebrew original, Goodman (research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel) unpacks Moses Maimonides's Guide for the Perplexed, suitable for both spiritual seekers and intellectually curious laypeople. Goodman explicates the Maimonides's views of God and prophecy, nature and evil, and humanity and leadership, revealing the didactic purpose behind the Guide's many perplexing contradictions. In addition, he addresses how to put Maimonides's more narrowly Judeocentric legal works (such as the Mishneh Torah) into the context of a more universal worldview as it appears in the Guide. Goodman's explanation of Maimonides's Guide concentrates on the most fundamental question of the Guide: what constitutes a life well-lived? Goodman considers the aim of the Guide in its original context and its impact on Judaism in previous ages, as well as its continued relevance, particularly its value to people living in a post-modernist, skeptical age. As Americans show increased interest in Jewish religion and culture in Israel, this English edition is likely to have great appeal. (May)