Jewish Mysticism: Essays on Maimonides' The Guide of the Perplexed

Linking Jewish mysticism with Maimonides may sound naïve at best and ludicrous at worst to those who claim familiarity with the material. The author of this book doesn’t think so. In this groundbreaking scholarly book, Rabbi Yamin Levy distinguishes between kabbalah, which Maimonides opposed, and authentic Jewish mysticism, which HaRambam (Maimonides) embraced and taught.
The premise of this book is that Maimonides was a deeply committed mystic who sought proximity to God, mystical union, higher consciousness, and transcendent wisdom. He wrote The Guide of the Perplexed as a path to achieve human perfection and prophecy. For Maimonides, the pursuit of mysticism doesn't have to mean suspending one’s reason, rational thinking, or philosophical precision. In fact, the mysticism put forth in The Guide of the Perplexed is a mysticism that finds its fullest expression in a mind, spirit, and practice that wholly rejects the corporeality of God, superstition, superstitious practices, and theurgic connections. Anything short of that impedes union with God, love, and awe of God.
The book you are holding is a series of lectures on The Guide of the Perplexed, delivered over a period of twenty-five years, turned into essays. The author aims to make Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed accessible to those who want to explore the depths of Jewish mysticism and Maimonidean thought.

Yamin Levy is the rabbi of the Iranian Jewish Center in Great Neck, NY, founder and director of the Maimonides Heritage Center, and a popular lecturer and educator. This book is the third in a series published for the Maimonides Heritage Center. The two previous books are titled The Mysticism of Andalusia: Exploring HaRambam’s Mystical Tradition and The Founding Fathers of Sephardic Jewry: From Rav Saadia Gaon to Shemuel Ibn Tibbon.

Publisher:

MHC Press

Pages:

392

Date Published:

2025-04-09