Reasons for the Commandments as Contemplative Practice in Maimonides
Don Seeman
July 1, 2013 DOI: 10.1353/jqr.2013.0019 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that Maimonides' discussion of reasons for the commandments in Sefer ha-mitsvot is a key to his later treatment in the Guide of the Perplexed, and that he treats this reflection as a philosophical and contemplative practice contributing to human perfection and love of God, in line with the Aristotelian mandate to contemplate virtue. |
Abstract
Reasons for the commandments or ta’ame ha-mitsvot are among the most controversial aspects of Moses Maimonides’ expansive literary corpus. This article does not consider the specific content of Maimonides’ reasons for the commandments, but focuses instead on the structural importance of this theme to his broader oeuvre. In Sefer ha-mitsvot, Maimonides argues that reflection upon the divine wisdom manifest in the commandments leads to contemplative pleasure and love of God. I argue that this passage provides an important but frequently overlooked key to Maimonides’ later discussion of this theme in his Guide of the Perplexed. In particular, I argue that Maimonides’ reflection upon reasons for the commandments must be understood in light of the Aristotelian mandate to contemplate virtue and virtuous acts. While other writers developed ta’ame ha-mitsvot in an apologetic vein, Maimonides treats reflection upon the reasons for the commandments as a full-blown philosophical and contemplative practice contributing to human perfection and love of God.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |