Reply To: Moreh Nevuchim

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Answers like “it was rejected” or “it’s philosophy” are ones that will not stand the test of honest and earnest research. Ramban did not reject it. He wrote a famous letter in defense. He did not claim familiarity with it. But he did state that before one could even make such claims against it, one should first consult with Rambam’s son, whom he considered one of the greatest of his generation, for clarification of the issues people had with it. As far as philosophy, Rashba, in his famous letter against the study of philosophy explicitly extolls the study of the Moreh. Anyone who is a decent student of historia would know that Rashba’s letter was against the study of the secular philosophy. Further, it is well known, and you can confirm with Rav Avraham Yehoshua Soloveitchik, Shlita, that Rav Chaim Brisker, as well as the Brisker Rav learned the Moreh. In fact, talmidim of Rav Chaim quoted him as referring to it as “Der hailiger Moreh.” The bottom line reasons it is not generally studied in Yeshivos are: 1. Historically it was too difficult. Written in Judeo-Classic Arabic and originally translated by R’ Yehudah Ibn Tivon into lashon hakodesh, he needed to construct new words to do so. He included a glossary of his invented words at the end of the Sefer. However, there are two more recent translations that Talmidei Chachomim familiar with the Arabic felt were highly accurate and not anti-kabbala agenda driven: the English one by Prof. Pines, published by CU Press and the new one in modern Ivrit, by Michoel Shwartz, published by TAU Press. 2. The second reason it was not studied in Yeshivos was because to study such a Sefer properly requires real dedication. Every good mechanech knows that something that requires dedication to truly grasp cannot be curricularized.