Living Torah Archives

In 1984, the Rebbe initiated a campaign for the daily study of Maimonides’ seminal work, the Mishneh Torah, with the aim of completing the fourteen volumes over the course of a year.

Maimonides rules that every Torah teaching, even a legal ruling, is intended “to set our hearts straight and rectify our character traits.”

Maimonides rules in his Laws of Kings about the times of Moshiach: “Do not think that the world will undergo miraculous changes. The world will continue according to the natural order. And prophecies such as, ‘The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,’ are metaphors.”

The Mishneh Torah was not written only for great Torah scholars. Maimonides himself writes that he composed it in a clear unambiguous style for all Jews – “for small and great alike.”

Maimonides concludes his code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah: “In the Era of Moshiach… there will be no occupation in the whole world except to know G-d alone. Therefore, the Jews will be great sages, knowing the hidden matters and grasping their Creator to the full extent possible for man – as it is written, ‘For the knowledge of G-d will fill the earth as water covers the sea.’”

Maimonides concludes his code of law, the Mishneh Torah, by describing the era of Moshiach as a time of peace, abundance and enlightenment. All luxuries will be readily available, and yet they will be esteemed in man’s eyes as the dust. As such, we will devote ourselves totally to the study of Torah.

All Jews should unite through Torah, by studying the same subject in Torah at the same time. Since Torah's practical laws are relevant and comprehensible by Jews of all backgrounds, we suggested a cycle of daily study of Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah.

Maimonides writes in the introduction to his Code of Jewish law that if one studies the five Books of Moses and goes straight to studying his code, he will know all of Jewish law, of both the Written and Oral Torah. This means that the scope of Maimonides’ codification is beyond anything that ever preceded or followed it!

The daily study of Maimonides’ works is becoming increasingly widespread. The Mishneh Torah, his Magnum Opus that codifies Jewish Law, serves to guide all Jews through the intricacies of Jewish observance. It is not geared for scholars alone. It guides “small and great alike,” as they pursue their life tasks.

Artist and sculptor Yaakov Agam presents the Rebbe with a small model of his newly designed public Menorah. The Rebbe says: “Thank you for designing the Menorah according to the opinion of Maimonides. You will be lighting the full-sized versions of your Menorah in Los Angeles and New York – may this be a good beginning for the entire United States and the entire world.”

The famous song “Who knows One?” sung in Russian. Honoring the Rebbe’s campaign to study Maimonides’ Mishna Torah, the singer adds a fourteenth stanza, “Fourteen are the Books of Rambam!”

“Rejoice and exult in the joy of Torah.” The Chassidim sing this Niggun in honor of the first annual Conclusion of Rambam, which the Rebbe had finished immediately prior to this song. From the Simchas Torah prayers.

20 Teves is the Rambam’s Yahrtzeit.
Rabbi Hurwitz presents the Rebbe with his most recent work on the Rambam. The Rebbe encourages him to continue, and blesses him with “Rambam Nachas.”

The Rebbe is presented with a Kapach edition of the Rambam. The Rebbe thanks the compilers, and requests to receive the future volumes as well. As for a recommendation-letter, use the one that was sent for the first volume.

The Rebbe vigorously encourages the Russian version of “Who Knows One?” especially the reference to the fourteen books of the Rambam.