“This short volume is most certainly for a niche of scholars who specialize in the study of Maimonides. And though it is written in scholarly fashion with copious endnotes, I believe it is accessible to any careful reader desiring a better understanding of the man. And this is very appropriate since Maimonides, at the time of the writing of this letter, was heavily involved in the day-to-day care of masses of people.”
— Tom Edmondson, senior pastor at First Christian Church of Atlanta, Reading Religion
“Sheer’s book makes a significant
contribution to the study of Maimonides’ correspondence with the sages of
southern France. It is based on up-to-date research and excellent footnotes.”
—Mitchell First, Jewish Link of New Jersey
~Mitchell First
“While Maimonides, like Aristotle, insists that poetry is
below history, and history is below the sciences, of which ma’aseh Merkavah
(metaphysics) is the highest of the sciences, Sheer reveals, in this first annotated
translation, the highly literary aspect of Maimonides’ elegantly rhymed epistle
to the scholars of Lunel. … Sheer unpacks the complex allusions to Biblical and
Midrashic sources in Rambam’s rhymed letter, and its ideas in the context of Maimonides’
oeuvre, so we not only gain a better appreciation of Rambam’s genius, but the
tensions in Rambam’s mind between Torah study and the hokmah (sciences).
… Sheer provides a careful, detailed,
in-depth textual analysis of the 59-line poetic letter. Sheer’s thoughtful
insights reveal what is at stake for the Rambam with regards to the dialectic
between Torah and science, philosophy and poetry, supernatural divine
revelation [beyond the mind’s limits] and reason. Recommended for all
libraries.” —AJL Reviews
"This short volume is most certainly for a niche of scholars who specialize in the study of Maimonides. And though it is written in scholarly fashion with copious endnotes, I believe it is accessible to any careful reader desiring a better understanding of the man. And this is very appropriate since Maimonides, at the time of the writing of this letter, was heavily involved in the day-to-day care of masses of people." —Tom Edmondson, Senior Pastor, First Christian Church of Atlanta, Reading Religion