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Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 19:03:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell Hendel <  rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Subject: Re: Why Animal Sacrifices?

Jehoshua Kahan writes about my views on Korbanoth the following. My (brief)
answers are attached. Yasher Coach to Jehoshua for adding a further nice
proof against the Rambam (That Adam brought sacrifices; he obviously wasn't
weaning away from Pagan practices)

<  <  What he said also implied that as a result of his difficulties in
understanding the Rambam, he would prefer if, as a policy, we should teach
only the various symbolic approaches and not the Rambam's approach. Here's
where I disagree with him.>  >

NO NO. I simply asked that we DO teach the symbolic approach. I have no
problem of mentioning the Rambam's approach but, and this is my whole
point, the Rambam's approach on all of korbanoth--that God weaned us away
from pagan customs--can be taught in a few hours. By contrast Rav Hirsch's
views on the Korbanoth could take many months to teach(160 pages on the
first Torah Parshah alone)

<  <  However much we may not understand the holy words of the Rambam, he was
one of the most important Rishonim, and certainly we have no right do
dismiss his opinions or teach only other opinions in the meforshim without
his as well.  If we have problems with his understanding of korbanos,
simply given his status as the Rambam, we must assume that the fault lies
in our incomplete understanding of the topic, and not that he overlooked
the various objections Russel and I mentioned.  I assume that Russel did
not mean to dismiss his opinions or urge people not to study his approach
to korbanos; nevertheless, as that was the impression I got from his words,
I wanted to write against that.>  >

In my article "Maimonidees article Towards Sacrifices" (Tradition 1973) I
cite several halachik sources defending the following: The Rambam did not
believe the views he wrote on korbanoth. But he felt obligated to mislead
people (and tell them korbanoth are to wean us away from pagan tendencies)
BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE RAMBAM WE ARE OBLIGATED TO MISLEAD PEOPLE IF WE
THINK THAT TELLING THEM THE TRUTH WILL LEAD TO THEM GOING ASTRAY FROM
JUDAISM.  In the article I prove that Rambam held this view about
misleading people and I prove (from the Rambam's own works) that he
believed that people would go astray if he didn't mislead them.

Russell Jay Hendel; Phd ASA;  RJHendel@Juno.Com
Moderator Rashi is Simple;  http://www.shamash.org/rashi/