The Rambam’s Revolutionary Halachic Rulings & Their Impact in Heaven – A Tribute on His Yahrzeit, the 20th of Tevet:
This article is written in commemoration of the Rambam’s yahrzeit, which falls on the 20th of Tevet. The Rambam—Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon—was a towering figure in Jewish history, a man whose influence transcended generations. First and foremost, he was a brilliant Torah scholar and codifier, whose revolutionary rulings shaped halachic discourse for centuries. Beyond his halachic contributions, he was also a physician, a statesman, and a philosopher—a true Renaissance figure, greater than life itself. In this article, we will explore two fascinating and groundbreaking rulings of the Rambam, some of which are not accepted as normative halacha today, yet reflect his bold and visionary approach and how they made a mark in Heaven itself. We will conclude with an extraordinary story about how, on the day of the Rambam’s yahrzeit, the heavenly court ruled in accordance with his opinion.
- Demus Haguf – Does G-d have human limitations and physical attributes?
One of the Rambam’s most groundbreaking positions is his unequivocal ruling that God does not possess any physical aspects or dimensions, knows as Demus Haguf, and anyone who says otherwise that God contains a body or bodily dimensions, is categorized as a heretic with all its implications.[1] Today, and for many generations, this principle is universally accepted among Jews: it is absolutely forbidden to ascribe to God any physical characteristics. However, in earlier times, even among great sages and Jewish philosophers—righteous individuals—there were those who believed otherwise, interpreting certain verses and aggadic passages literally, such as the hand of God, the eyes of G-d, and associating with Hashem physical body parts and characteristics. In his Mishneh Torah, the Rambam declared that anyone who holds such beliefs is considered an Min (heretic). This bold stance sparked debate. The Raavad[2] (Rabbi Avraham ben David) famously challenged the severity of the Rambam’s classification, writing: “Why did he call them heretics? There were far greater and more righteous scholars [than the Rambam] who followed this line of thought, based on Scripture and aggadah, which can mislead the mind and confuse opinions.” While the Raavad did not necessarily dispute the Rambam’s theological position, he objected to labeling these individuals so harshly.[3]
A Heavenly Story: The Rambam’s Ruling and Its Cosmic Impact[4]
A remarkable story is told in the name of the Kaiser Middel Glenn: At the time the Rambam issued his ruling that God has no human form or characteristics, a dramatic event unfolded in the heavens. The Garden of Eden began to empty of all the righteous sages who had previously believed that God possessed human-like qualities. Since the Rambam had now declared such beliefs heretical, these souls were deemed unworthy of remaining in Gan Eden.
Sensing this through divine inspiration, the Raavad immediately rose to their defense. He composed his famous commentary challenging the Rambam’s harsh classification, arguing that these great scholars were not heretics—they had based their views on Scripture and aggadic passages that could easily mislead. Following his intervention, the sages were restored to their place in Gan Eden.
The Rebbe’s Clarification of the Raavad:[5]
The Rebbe explains in a talk that at the time of the Rambam and Raavad, this matter was being ruled upon for the first time. Therefore, those who held different opinions prior to their era were not necessarily at fault. However, today—after nearly a thousand years—the halacha is firmly established according to the Rambam: God has no human characteristics whatsoever. Anyone who believes otherwise would indeed be considered a heretic, with no defense even from the Raavad.
- The Rambam’s Ruling on One Who Shames a Torah Scholar
The Rambam[6] rules that an individual who shames, belittles, or embarrasses a Torah scholar is subject to severe consequences: such a person is liable for excommunication and must pay a hefty fine of one litra of gold.[7] This ruling underscores the gravity of dishonoring a Torah scholar, as it strikes at the very honor of Torah itself. However, while this was the practical ruling in the Rambam’s time, the Rama[8] in the Shulchan Aruch notes that today this fine is no longer enforced in practice, and a rather smaller fine is given. At first glance, this may appear to be a leniency—suggesting that one can shame a Torah scholar and escape with only a minor penalty. In truth, however, this change introduces a profound stringency: one cannot achieve full atonement for shaming a Torah scholar, even if one were to give the full amount of the original fine. The spiritual blemish remains, and repentance is far more complex.
To illustrate this principle, we now present a fascinating story involving the Alter Rebbe, which demonstrates how, on the yahrzeit of the Rambam, the heavenly court rules in accordance with his opinion—allowing for the giving of money as a means of repentance and atonement for one who shamed a Torah scholar.
A Story of atoning for belittling a Torah scholar on the Rambam’s Yahrzeit[9]
The mashpia R’ Shlomo Zalman of blessed memory once shared a powerful story he heard from the chassid R’ Tuvia Balkin, a devoted follower of the Alter Rebbe. R’ Tuvia was childless for many years and repeatedly sought a blessing from the Alter Rebbe. On one occasion, the Rebbe told him: “Travel to the holy Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev—and don’t be foolish.”
With hope renewed, the chassid traveled to Berditchev and entered Rabbi Levi Yitzchak’s room to request a blessing. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak said: “If you give me a sum equal to five hundred silver rubles[10], you will be saved and have children.” The chassid was shocked. Five hundred rubles? He thought: “From my Rebbe, I have never heard such a demand for money in exchange for a blessing!” He refused. He returned several times, offering smaller amounts, but Rabbi Levi Yitzchak stood firm. Finally, after much inner struggle, the chassid came back and said: “I will give the full amount.” Rabbi Levi Yitzchak replied: “Now it will no longer help you.”
Broken and confused, the chassid returned home and went straight to the Alter Rebbe. “Rebbe,” he asked, “Why was such a large sum required? And why, when I finally agreed, did Rabbi Levi Yitzchak say it was too late?”
The Alter Rebbe explained: “Once, you disgraced a Torah scholar. According to most opinions, the punishment for that is to remain childless. Only according to the Rambam can this be overturned by giving a ‘litra of gold’ to charity—a sum equal to about five hundred rubles. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak wanted to help you by receiving that amount on the Rambam’s yahrzeit, the 20th of Tevet, when in heaven the ruling follows the Rambam. Had you given it then, the judgment would have been reversed. But after the yahrzeit passed, he could no longer rule against the majority of the other poskim.”
The chassid then asked: “Rebbe, why did you send me to him? Could you not have ruled this way yourself?” The Alter Rebbe answered with deep emotion: “I could not do it—because the Torah scholar you disgraced was my own teacher and master, Reb Yissacher Ber of Lubavitch who had been my teacher as a child.”
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[1] Rambam Mishneh Torah Hilchos Teshuvah 3:7 “There are five people who are defined as heretics – Minim – and one of them is a person who says that there is only one God but he has a body and contains dimensions [i.e. Baal Temuna].”
[2] See his gloss on the Rambam ibid
[3] See Kesef Mishneh on Rambam ibid who writes “It is a great wonderment that the holy mouth of the Raavad would dispute this ruling of the Rambam and call such individuals who believe God has a body, as greater than the Rambam himself, and hence we must reinterpret what the Raavad is saying per the version found in Sefer Ikarim 2, in which it states that the Raavad said that even though the main fundamental belief follows that of the Rambam, nonetheless one who believes otherwise due to the words in Scripture and Midrashim is not befitting to be called a heretic.”
[4] Divrei Torah Munktach 5:20 “It is cited in the name of our holy Rebbe, the Admor of Lublin, who explained regarding the Rambam’s ruling in Hilchot Teshuvah, chapter 3, halacha 7: “There are five who are called ‘minim’ (heretics)… and one who says there is one Master, but that He has a body and form.” These are the words of the Rambam. The Raavad, of blessed memory, objected and wrote: “Why did he call such a person a heretic? Many great and righteous scholars before him held this view, based on what they saw in Scripture, and even more so from what they saw in aggadic passages, which confuse opinions.” These are the words of the Raavad. The Rebbe of Lublin, through his holy spirit, revealed what occurred then and afterward: When the Rambam wrote this ruling—that those who could not conceive that God is not a body and form are considered among the heretics—there were many righteous individuals in his generation who did not grasp this concept. This was because, in their time (the fifth millennium), the wisdom of Kabbalah had not yet been revealed to teach that any physical form is infinitely removed from the Divine, and they had not studied philosophy or metaphysics at all. They engaged only in Torah and mitzvot with simple sincerity. Therefore, when the Raavad defended them, saying they were great and righteous, he was correct. After their passing, they were not expelled from Gan Eden; they were admitted and forgiven for this error, which they could not avoid due to their limited understanding. However, when the Rambam wrote that such people are considered heretics, they were temporarily removed from Gan Eden—because how could it be that those whom the Rambam classified as heretics remained there? When the Raavad saw this through divine vision, he intervened to protect them and they returned these great men to the garden of Eden.
[5] See Otzer Hisvadyos Vol. 1, p. 156 [Hisvadysus Yud Tes Kisleiv 5712] “Today, everyone agrees without dispute that the concept of physicality does not apply to the Creator, for physicality and the Creator are two opposites. If someone interprets verses such as “the hand of God,” “the eyes of God,” or “under His feet” literally—as if He has a body—this is heresy against His unity, for His oneness is unlike any other oneness found in the world. Not like a body, which is divisible into parts and extremities. If there were multiple deities, they would be corporeal, and if the Creator were corporeal, He would have an end and a limit. Anything with a body has an end and a limit, and anything whose power has an end and a limit is finite. But our God, blessed be His Name, since His power has no end, His power is not the power of a body. And since He is not a body, He does not experience bodily occurrences that would cause division or separation. Therefore, it is impossible for Him to be anything but One. Accordingly, the Rambam rules in Hilchot Teshuvah that there are five categories called “minim” (heretics), and among them is one who says there is one Master, but that He has a body and form. However, the Raavad challenges him, saying: “Why did he call this person a heretic? Many great and righteous scholars before him held this view, based on what they saw in Scripture and aggadic passages.” The truth is that both the Rambam and the Raavad are correct in their statements, because a Jew must believe and know that this God is One and not two, as the Rambam writes—that knowing this is a positive commandment, as it says: ‘Hashem is our God, Hashem is One.’ Therefore, if one entertains a notion that introduces duality, which contradicts the concept of divine unity, ‘Hashem is One,’ this is considered heresy and apostasy.” And what the Raavad wrote—that many great and righteous scholars before him held this view based on what they saw in Scripture—is because, at that time, many did not understand that this belief contradicts the unity of God. They thought it was possible to interpret verses like “the hand of God” or “the eyes of God” literally, just as one teaches a small child in the classroom, and still believe completely in the One God. Since, in their minds, this was not a contradiction to divine unity—even though, in reality, they were mistaken—it is impossible to classify them as heretics according to halacha. One cannot judge based on a person’s thoughts and intentions, for a court does not… (text seems to cut off here). God knows what is in a person’s heart, but a judge has only what his eyes can see—“man sees what is visible.” Therefore, if someone openly declares statements that imply duality in the Creator, contradicting His unity, this is considered heresy. However, God sees the heart, and if He perceives that these words were spoken due to a specific misunderstanding, and in the person’s mind this does not contradict divine unity—and moreover, the person relies on something tangible, as grasped by a physical intellect, without exerting effort to understand abstract concepts—then it is reasonable to say that in heaven such a person would not be considered a heretic. Nevertheless, once it has been clarified and explained intellectually that attributing a body to God contradicts His unity, then anyone who is no longer a child and has reached intellectual maturity is obligated to invest all their mental capacity in Torah study, as ruled by the Alter Rebbe in Hilchot Talmud Torah. At that point, the Raavad’s defense no longer applies, and there is no room to maintain such a belief, since everyone knows it contradicts the principle of divine unity.”
[6] Rambam Mishneh Torah Hilchos Talmud Torah 6:12 and Hilchos Chovel Umazik 3:5; Yerushalmi Bava Kama 8:6; See also Shut Rashba 1:475 and Rivash 27, 216 and 220, brought in Beis Yosef 243
[7] A litra of gold is an ancient weight measure, approximately 327 grams. At today’s gold price (about $142.82 per gram for 24K gold), this equals roughly $46,700 USD. This underscores the immense value the Rambam placed on honoring Torah scholars.
[8] Rama Y.D. 243:7; Maharik 163; Maryu 163
[9] Various versions of this story have appeared in different publications. The version presented here is recorded in Sefer HaMashpia by the renowned chassid Rabbi Shlomo Zalman. For a comprehensive historical analysis of the story and its variations, see the introduction to Sefer Rambam HaShaleim, published by Chazak.
[10] In the late 1700s, a silver ruble contained approximately 24 grams of silver. At today’s silver price (about $0.80 per gram), 500 rubles would equal roughly $9,500 USD in raw silver value. Historically, however, 500 rubles represented a substantial fortune, often equivalent to several years of income for a wealthy merchant or landowner—far beyond the means of ordinary individuals.
