From The Rebbe’s Pen: Why The Raavad Criticizes The Rambam So Sharply
Chabadinfo in collaboration with Beis Moshiach Magazine presents: From The Rebbe’s Pen, a series featuring a twice-weekly letter or ma’aneh (response) from the Rebbe MH”M • A individual wrote to the Rebbe a letter with several questions on the Rambam’s introduction to the Mishneh Torah. One of them was regarding how the Raavad’s glosses, which contain sharply worded critique on the Rambam’s rulings, were published in the standard Rambam editions • Special for Chof Teves – The Yom Hiloula of the Rambam • Full Article
On the first day of the first Rambam study cycle, Sunday, 27 Nissan 5744, an individual wrote to the Rebbe a letter with several questions on the Rambam’s introduction to the Mishneh Torah. One of them was regarding how the Raavad’s glosses, which contain sharply worded critique on the Rambam’s rulings, were published in the standard Rambam editions:
Apparently, the Raavad’s hasagos (disagreements) on the Rambam stemmed from jealousy, and I don’t understand why they printed this inside the Rambam, particularly after the Rambam gained widespread acclaim and acceptance?
The Rebbe responded to this assumption with a double underlined:
ח”ו [=חס ושלום]
Chas v’Shalom
and added a reference on the bottom of the page:
וראה שה”ג להחיד”א (ראב”ד הג’)
Consult the book “Shem HaGedolim” by the Chida, (entry on Raavad the third).
[In this encyclopedic book by the Chida (R’ Chaim Yosef Dovid Azulai) that lists brief biographies of Torah giants and their works over the generations in alphabetical order, he explains that Raavad wrote these hasagos so strongly — even though he himself acknowledges (in Chapter Six of the Laws of Kilayim) that the Rambam had done a monumental work in compiling all the halachos of the Torah Sheb’al Peh — is that future generations shouldn’t come to rely on the Rambam and think that his rulings are final and indisputable [like the Gemara’s] as well as several other reasons.]
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