Rambam in the Yeshiva and the University

Rambam in the Yeshiva and the University

Author: Tradition Online June 18, 2025 Duration: 59:54
This episode of the Tradition Podcast features an engaging conversation about current scholarship on Maimonides—the “Great Eagle.” TRADITION’s Winter 2025 issue presented a review essay by Marc Herman on Prof. Mordechai Akiva Friedman’s Ha-Rambam u-Genizat Kahir [Maimonides and the Cairo Geniza] (Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities), and Rabbi Dr. Aaron Adler’s Al Kanfei Nesharim: Mehkarim be-Sifrut ha-Hilkhatit shel ha-Rambam (Tevunot Press at Herzog College). In this podcast, reviewer meets his subject as Herman and Ahron Adler discuss aspects of their common work on Maimonides. Among other topics, they consider differences in approach to Maimonidean research carried out by pure academicians as opposed to a rabbinic educator who dabbles in academia and benefits from its methods, and how R. Adler synthesized traditional “yeshiva style” learning with academic tools in his book.  They also speculate about whether or not and how the academic approach, utilizing the vast manuscript material available today, could or should make its way into traditional study in batei midrash. Read Marc Herman, “Maimonides in Panoramic View: New Studies of the Great Eagle,” TRADITION (Winter 2025). R. Dr. Aaron Adler is a veteran communal leader, educator, and scholar. He is rabbi emeritus of Ohel Nechama in Jerusalem, and founding Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshivat Bnei Akiva Ner Tamid in Hashmona’im. Dr. Marc Herman is an assistant professor at York University in Toronto. His first book, After Revelation: The Rabbinic Past in the Medieval Islamic World (University of Pennsylvania Press), will be published in the coming weeks. The post Rambam in the Yeshiva and the University appeared first on Tradition Online.

The Tradition Podcast extends the deep, considered conversation of its long-standing journal into an audio format. Each episode draws from the rich well of Orthodox Jewish thought, but frames these ideas for a contemporary listener grappling with modern questions. You'll hear discussions that sit at the intersection of ancient texts and present-day life, where timeless philosophy meets current ethical dilemmas, historical context informs cultural shifts, and spiritual inquiry finds practical expression. This isn't about delivering simple answers, but rather exploring the nuanced arguments and diverse perspectives that have defined a living tradition for centuries. The podcast naturally delves into the same rigorous topics as the journal-Jewish law, theology, societal trends, and moral philosophy-but with the accessible, engaging flow of a spoken dialogue. It’s for anyone curious about how a vibrant intellectual and religious tradition navigates the complexities of the human experience, offering thoughtful reflection that resonates far beyond the page. Tune in for a series that honors the depth of its source material while creating a new space for auditory learning and reflection.
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