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In his realization of the independence of Jewish Law and the Will of HaShem - (TRUTH) - over the practices of even
the most religious of men, Rambam is famous even among non-Jewish philosophers for having stated:
"Truth does not become more true by virtue of whether the whole world agrees with it, nor does it become any less
true if the whole world were to disagree with it."
Such logic is central to awareness of and devotion to the Absolute ONE, L-RD of the Universe, and in upholding His
Gracious Instruction, the Torah.
A few basic reasons why I prefer to go according to Mishneh Torah in psaq halakha:
Emphasis, centrality, and importance of the Absolute Unity of the Creator throughout the text
Centrality and importance of loving, revering, and serving Him throughout the text
Emphasis on importance of upholding logic and consistency in our thoughts and actions
That the codifier of the Mishneh Torah, the "Rambam," was well educated in a broad field of studies,
from science and astronomy to philosphy and mysticism, to the beliefs and practices of various religions of his time.
Such knowledge is essential for the highest degree of comprehension and application of Jewish law.
The Mishneh Torah, until this day, is the only self-contained complete system of codified Jewish [Talmudic] Law;
It is my opinion that until the Redemption it will remain so, for the following additional reason that I prefer to go according
to the Mishneh Torah:
That Rambam, codifier of Talmudic law and teaching into the Mishneh Torah, was conciously concerned about the
accuracy
of the source texts he used and that in his possesion were Talmudic and Biblical texts which he considered to be
of superior quality / accuracy in comparison to the versions of those same texts generally used in his lifetime -- (
how
much more so in comparison to those used in our lifetime?):
That he possessed what he considered superior Tanakh text of Rav Asher see Mishneh Torah, Hilkoth Sefer Torah 8:4, p. 159 note #10 in Moznaim translation;
That he considered himself to have access to Talmudic texts which were superior to that of certain Geonim, see Hilkoth Ishut 11:17 [13], p. 140 note #27 in Moznaim translation;
That he used more accurate versions than his teachers, see Hilkoth Gerushin 9:29 [32].
That he had used Talmudic texts which he believed to have been copied around 200 years after the originals, see Hilkoth Malveh v'Loveh 15:4 [2];
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Historical Precedence for going according to Mishneh Torah
Superiority of Hand-Written Texts over the Vilna Edition
Websites with Similar Perspectives
Mechon-Mamre.org (
Accurate online texts of Tanakh [Jewish Bible], Talmudic texts, and Mishneh Torah)
Torath Mosha (
articles on Yemenite Jews, Kabbalah, and halakha according to Mishneh Torah)
Mesora.org (
similar in hashkafa only - Oneness of HaShem, perspective on Kabbalah, etc...)
