Sages & Scholars

Sages & Scholars

Maimonides (Rambam) and His Texts

One of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time, he was both a traditionalist and an innovator.

Sages & Scholars

Who Was Rabbi Akiva?

The second-century sage was the inspiration for many legends and may have died as a martyr.

Sages & Scholars

Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Prophet’s Prophet

Heschel aimed, through his writing and teaching, to shock modern people out of complacency and into a spiritual dimension

Maimonides and His Discontents

Maimonides has long been a figure of extraordinary authority. Yet his understanding of Judaism was highly controversial.

Who Was Maimonides?

A philosopher, physician, rabbinic scholar and more, Maimonides was the most famous Jew of the premodern age.

Jewish Thought and Philosophy 101

Jewish thought is not a single continuous tradition, but rather a varied mix of works, which reflect the specific ideological and historical positions of those who wrote them.

Tale of Two Talmuds: Jerusalem and Babylonian

The two versions of the Talmud developed simultaneously in the two major Jewish communities of the rabbinic era.

Maimonides’ Philosophical Writings

In his landmark philosophical work, The Guide to the Perplexed, Maimonides sought to put Judaism on a rational footing.

Thinkers & Thought Quiz

How much do you know about Judaism's leading thinkers and their philosophies?

Talmud Quiz

How much do you know about this influential and complex body of Jewish teachings?

Who Was Rashi?

The most widely read Jewish Bible commentator, he also wrote a running commentary to the Babylonian Talmud.

Maimonides as Community Leader

The man who penned landmark works on Jewish law and philosophy also deeply identified with the communities and individuals who sought his counsel.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi

The editor of the Mishnah is one of the most significant figures in rabbinic Judaism.

Yochanan Ben Zakkai

Student of Hillel contributed to the continued study of Torah and the protection of the Sanhedrin.

Who Was Hillel?

The preeminent sage of first century Palestine whose name is on Jewish campus organizations worldwide.