Maimonides’s “Foundations (Qā‘ida/Qawā‘id)” of Judaism: Beyond the Famous Thirteen

Maimonides’ Thirteen Foundations, often referred to as the thirteen principles, certainly constitute one of the Great Eagle’s most successful creations. Originally formulated towards the end of one of the introductory essays that accompany the commentary to the Mishnah, the thirteen foundations took on a life of their own, especially in Hebrew summations which found their way into the prayer book. Maimonides articulated them while in his twenties as a set of paragraphs of varying length. Later in life he jotted important additions in the margins to his autograph copy; however, he did not return to them in any of his major writings. Confirmation of these articles is normative in the sense that whoever is uncertain about even one of them no longer belongs to klal Yisrael.

Informed assent to these principles is mandatory. However, there are other teachings that Maimonides labels qā‘ida that are not included in the obligatory thirteen. Indeed, in the same introductory essay (p. 199 of Y. Qāfiḥ’s edition) he describes the notion that one obeys the Torah for no reason other than the love of God “a foundation of the belief of the Sages”. Especially in the Guide of the Perplexed one encounters a relatively long list of items that are said to be qawā‘id yet are absent from the famous list. For example, the “dictum of the philosophers”, the center of attention in the much-discussed chapter 68 of the first part, is dubbed a qā‘ida; Maimonides adds that he explained why it deserves this standing in his Mishneh Torah. My presentation will offer a tentative inventory of such qawā‘id, as well as some preliminary reflections concerning Maimonides’ selection criteria for inclusion in, or exclusion from, the famous thirteen.