I have heard many times that the Rambam's omission of mystical ideas is proof, or evidence, of his rejection thereof. However, if one accepts the authenticity of Kabbalah as being a legitimate tradition sourced back to at least R' Shimon Bar Yochai, then that includes the fact that it was a secret tradition, as would be supported by the Mishna in Chagiga 2:1 that the מעשה מרכבה should not even be taught directly to an individual. From the way the Ramban introduces Kabbalistic ideas in his commentary on Chumash, it seems that he was not entirely comfortable to let the cat out of the bag. Therefore, silence seems inconclusive.
Is there positive evidence of the Rambam's rejection of Kabbalah, by which I mean statements which seem to acknowledge it and dismiss it?
No comments:
Post a Comment