Moses MaimonidesArticle Free Pass Essay on the Calendar” (Hebrew
title: Maʾamar haʿibur). The first of Maimonides’ major works,
begun at the age of 23, was his commentary on the Mishna, Kitāb
al-Sirāj, also written in Arabic. The Mishna is a compendium of
decisions in Jewish law that dates from earliest times to the
3rd century. Maimonides’ commentary clarified individual words
and phrases, frequently citing relevant information in
archaeology, theology, or science. Possibly the work’s most
striking feature is a series of introductory essays dealing with
general philosophic issues touched on in the Mishna. One of
these essays summarizes the teachings of Judaism in a creed of
Thirteen Articles of Faith. He completed the commentary on the
Mishna at the age of 33, after which he began his magnum opus,
the code of Jewish law, on which he also laboured for 10 years.
Bearing the name of Mishne Torah (“The Torah Reviewed”) and
written in a lucid Hebrew style, the code offers a brilliant
systematization of all Jewish