Originally Posted by
Longbowman
No, this is inaccurate, again. Try to read a little more carefully and accept that, perhaps, I know [a lot] more than you about this topic. I am not talking about Reform, Liberal, Karaites, etc. I am talking about Rambam not being accepted within Orthodox circles.
Rambam is not venerated by anybody. He was not a saint or a prophet, but a rationalist commentator. Although he is considered a great thinker by many people, he is simply not an infallible or universally accepted authority. In his lifetime he fled Spain for Egypt. The Jews of Egypt generally loved him (except the Karaites, who were at the time numerous) but the Jews of Spain - and Europe in general, particularly Ashkenazim - generally rejected him. Many of his rulings are contradicted by a great many other great rabbis, both historically and also, to a slightly lesser extent, today. Until very recently, Hassidim rejected him and even burnt his books. Even those who think he was generally on the ball don't follow all of his rulings. Other opinions of Rambam include 'women should not be allowed to go outside more than once or twice a month,' for example. In summary, he was just a man - a very great thinker, but not a prophet or an unassailable authority, and there are many competing Geonim with differing viewpoints on a great many issues.
Most Jews do not use the Mishneh Torah as their codex of choice, although it is respected. Some exceptions are Temanim (Yemenite Jews) of the Baladi tradition, who do tend to follow the Mishneh Torah, but Ashkenazim almost never do, although they do study it.
Obviously your 'Hasidic university' website is... bizarre. A great many Jews are Freemasons, for example. I have no idea why this individual would even want to destroy them unless he's a conspiritard - Freemasonry is not a religious movement, even though you have to be a monotheist to join. It fits in well with the Noahide laws, which, again, don't matter outside of a hypothetical Halakhic state. I also don't understand why Buddhist temples get the chop (but Hindu ones don't?) or why he's so against the Sphinx or Christmas trees or even crosses (but not crescents?). He sounds like a right nutter.
Jews do not have the death penalty for foreigners who do not adhere to Judaism, so 'chopping heads' is a very bizarre thing to bring up. Indeed, the only religions to execute heretics and nonbelievers in recent times are Christians (Inquisition, anyone?) and Muslims. In Judaism it is, again, irrelevant what foreigners believe in their own countries. There is no punishment for 'not being a Jew.'
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