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Quote by Maimonides

“The Prophets even express their surprise that God should take notice of man, who is too little and too unimportant to be worthy of the attention of the Creator; how, then, should other living creatures be considered as proper objects for Divine Providence!”

Quote by Maimonides

Work

The Guide for the Perplexed

The Guide for the Perplexed is a comprehensive work that delves into the complexities of Jewish law and philosophy. Written by the medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides, it is a synthesis of Jewish thought and an attempt to reconcile religious beliefs with reason. The book is divided into three parts, each addressing different aspects of Jewish law and philosophy, and is known for its depth and intellectual rigor. more

Author

Maimonides
Maimonides

Maimonides, born on March 30, 1135 and died on December 12, 1204, was a Jewish philosopher, physician, and legal scholar. He is renowned for his contributions to philosophy, medicine, and Jewish law. more

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“The strange and wonderful Book of Job treats of the same subject as we are discussing; its contents are a fiction, conceived for the purpose of explaining the different opinions which people hold on Divine Providence. ...This fiction, however, is in so far different from other fictions that it includes profound ideas and great mysteries, removes great doubts, and reveals the most important truths. I will discuss it as fully as possible; and I will also tell you the words of our Sages that suggested to me the explanation of this great poem.”

“Know that the difficulties which lead to confusion in the question what is the purpose of the Universe or of any of its parts, arise from two causes: first, man has an erroneous idea of himself, and believes that the whole world exists only for his sake; secondly, he is ignorant both about the nature of the sublunary world, and about the Creator's intention to give existence to all beings whose existence is possible, because existence is undoubtedly good.”

“It is not unreasonable to assume that the works of God, their existence and preceding non-existence, are the result of His wisdom, but we are unable to understand many of the ways of His Wisdom in His works. On this principle the whole Law of Moses is based; it begins with this principle: "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen. i. 31); and it ends with this principle: "The Rock, perfect is His work" (Deut. xxxii. 4). Note it.”