Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Maimonides Class: Epistle to Yemen

Click Here to Listen to the class

Click Here to see the source sheet

Over the course of the next few weeks we will study "The Epistle to Yemen." In the 12th century, a fanatical Muslim movement was forcing the Jews of Yemen to convert to Islam. Maimonides wrote a letter to the community addressing the following questions: (these questions are taken from Abraham Halkin's book)
.1) What was the significance of the community's suffering?
2) How should the community respond to a convert who had become a missionary for Islam and claimed that the Torah itself confirmed the prophethood of Muhammad?
3) What should they make of the claim of another individual to be the Messiah, come to rescue them from their persecutors?
4) Could the date of the Messiah's coming be predicted by astrology?