I am going to make a suggestion which is my interpretation
of things, and might upset some hardcore Rabbanites. However, pursuant to a previous article published here
there seems to be a recurring pattern of statements, and
hints that even in his legal writings, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon was alluding to
something outside of his rabbinical beliefs.
Whilst Rambam is quite harsh at those who deny the oral law,
or rabbinic injunctions, he makes a
point of emphasising that adding to the Torah is forbidden, and those who claim
that rabbinic injunctions are from the Torah are guilty of adding.
He opens several of his chapters by distinguishing the Torah
Law from what is rabbinic. In this area, I might disagree with his
classification of what Torah law is, but it is still an important observation
to note his distinctions.
Moving from his so called “Mishneh Torah” to his philosophical magnum opus, the Guide for the Perplexed, here there
appear many allusions and hints at certain secret doctrines and ideologies that
are too dangerous for him to state explicitly. Thus on the topic of Lex Talionis - an eye for an eye - he interprets it in a way that is contrary
to the rabbinic version, and congruent with the Karaite or plain reading of the
Torah, i.e. that it really was a physical
eye for an eye, as opposed to financial compensation. The same also goes for Shaatnez of the high
priest’s tunic. In his Guide he points
out that idolaters would wear a tunic made of shaatnez as part of their
idolatry. This statement would also be
going against the Rabbinic claim that the Torah command the High priest to wear
a wool and linen mix in the Temple
– which is a total lie.
Some rabbis make the statement that they agree with the
Rambam’s halacha, but don’t accept his philosophy. However, even within his
halacha, there are already some rudimentary allusions to his disapproval of
certain Talmudic claims. Notwithstanding
this, we are speaking of the man and not
of later rabbis with less capacity of logical thought.
I would therefore wish to put forward that Maimonides is
indeed making a secret wager, something akin to Pascal’s wager. He is, in his final years of life, writing an
alternative religious theology to that which he has lived most of his life as a
rabbi and leader. An alternative to the fame and authority his name conjures up
for countless generations to follow. He
has reached a point where his time on Earth is winnowing, and he believes he
will be giving account to his Master at the great bet Din in the Sky. He is just now writing his secret wager,
which he will use as evidence, should be brought task for spreading what he has
realised could be pure fantasy – the claim that an Oral Torah was given in
addition to the Written One.
