The Laws of Idolatry | Rambam’s Mishneh Torah | Part One

This is part one of laws of idolatry from Rambam’s Mishneh Torah.

The Mishneh Torah (Hebrew: מִשְׁנֵה תּ וֹרָה‎‎, “Repetition of the Torah”), subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka (ספר יד החזקה “Book of the Strong Hand”), is a code of Jewish religious law (Halakha) authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also known as Rambam or “Rambam”), one of the history’s foremost rabbis. The Mishneh Torah was compiled between 1170 and 1180 (4930–4940), while Maimonides was living in Egypt, and is regarded as Maimonides’ magnum opus. Accordingly, later sources simply refer to the work as “Maimon”, “Maimonides” or “Rambam”, although Maimonides composed other works.

Mishneh Torah consists of fourteen books, subdivided into sections, chapters, and paragraphs. It is the only Medieval-era work that details to all Jewish observance, including those laws that are only applicable when the Holy Temple is in existence and remains an important work in Judaism.