December 2018 - March 2019

About the Exhibition

There Was None Like Moses

Maimonides: From the Invention of Printing to
the Digital Age

The proverb "From Moses to Moses, there was none like Moses" reflects Maimonides’ vast influence in and beyond the Jewish world.

This exhibition presents publications created around the figure of Maimonides, from the invention of printing and into the digital age, and it shows diverse audiences portrayed their own Maimonides to match their needs and imaginations.

The rationalist philosopher, meticulous legalist, world-renowned physician, and active communal leader may have died more than 800 years ago, but interest in his writings and life has never flagged, among Jews and non-Jews alike, from Yemen and Iraq to Europe and the Americas.

Yet, various publics constructed for themselves a Maimonides that complemented their unique cultural sensitivities, at times imagining a figure very different from who he really was. Legacies have a life of their own, and the author himself does not determine how he will be perceived hundreds of years after his death.

The exhibit There Was None Like Moses is a collaboration of the National Library of Israel and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem with the support of the Maimonides Fund. Concurrently, the Israel Museum is presenting the exhibition Maimonides: A Legacy in Script, which focuses on the unique manuscripts containing his writings.          

Schedule

Tuesday, December 11
20:30-22:00
Opening remarks:
Mr. David Blumberg, Chair of the National Library of Israel
*Can the Two Co-exist?
Legal Interpretation and Halachic Interpretation
Prof. Aharon Barak, Retired President of the Supreme Court
Prof. Moshe Halbertal, The Hebrew University (remarks)
Chair: Prof. Elchanan Reiner, The National Library of Israel    

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live
Wednesday, December 12
10:15-11:45
*Maimonides: Halacha and Philosophy
Prof. Moshe Halbertal, Prof. Joseph David (remarks)

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live
11:45-12:00
Break
12:00-13:30
*Maimonides, the Community and Central Administration  
Prof. Menachem Ben-Sasson, Dr. Dotan Arad (remarks)

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live
13:30-14:30
Lunch break
14:30-16:00
**Two Conceptions of Idolatry in the Thought of Maimonides
Prof. Josef Stern, Mr. Omer Michaelis (remarks)

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

16:00-16:30
Break
16:30-18:00
**Perplexed by What? Guides to Modern Jewish Life from Krochmal to Leibowitz
Prof. Leora Batnitzky, Dr. Michael Fagenblat (remarks)

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

18:00-20:00
Guided tour of the exhibition

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live
Maimonides in a New Light

This session is open only to invited participants (students)

16:30-17:30
Love and Awe in the Philosophy of Maimonides
Prof. Moshe Halbertal
17:30-18:00
Break, light refreshments and tour of exhibition
18:00-19:00
Group study
19:10-20:00
Maimonides' Multi-Faceted Attitude Towards Islam
Prof. Meir Bar Asher

Main Event

20:30-22:00
*Maimonides and his influence on modern culture
Dr. Meir Buzaglo in conversation with Dr. Micah Goodman
Chair: Tsila Hayun, The National Library of Israel    
Musical accompaniment: Yad Ben Zvi Ensemble & Neta Elkayam

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live
Thursday, December 13
10:30-12:00
*The Obvious and the Concealed in the Guide to the Perplexed: The Riddle of Part 2 Chapter 42
Prof. Shalom Rosenberg, Prof. Zev Harvey (remarks)

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live
12:00-13:30
** Philosophy as a Way of Life in   Maimonides
Dr. Carlos Fraenkel, Prof. Menachem Lorberbaum (remarks)

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

13:30-16:00
Lunch break
16:00-18:00
Guided tour of the exhibition at the Israel Museum

Unfortunately, all tickets ran out

Watch Live

Booking a place in the tour ensures a place to drive from the library to the museum and return

18:30-20:00
*The Reception of Maimonides in Light of Illuminated Manuscripts of his Works
Prof. Sarit Shalev-Eyni, Prof. Tzvi Langermann (remarks)

Free entrance is subject to the availability of seats

Watch Live

Main Event

20:30-22:00
** A Philosopher in the Islamic World: What did this Really Mean?
Prof. Sari Nusseibeh in conversation with Prof. Sarah Stroumsa Chair: Dr. Raquel Ukeles, The National Library of Israel
Musical accompaniment: Prof. Taiseer Elias and Rabbi David Menachem

Participation is free of charge; pre-registration on the National Library website is required

Session in Hebrew*

Session in English**

Maimonides Events

In addition to the exhibition at the National Library, a new site was opened - the "Beit Midrash of Maimonides" - in which a series of meetings of Chavruta, discussion and study will take place over the next few months. The Beit Midrash program is here before you and you are invited to take part in the various events at no cost and with advance registration.

January 2019

Sunday through Thursday
11:00
Rebbes of Torah

Joint study of the laws of Talmud Torah

*No registration is required

On the basis of free space

Register
Sunday
January 6th | 29th of Tevet
16:15
Learning Together: Guidelines for Torah study

Mr. Yosef Leichter, the National Library

The National Library building

The Maimonides Seminary

Register
Wednesday
January 9th | 3rd of Shevat
12:30
Would Maimonides Eat Matzah Cookies?

Afternoon Scholar with Rabbi Yitzchak Sheilat, of the Maale Adumim Yeshiva

The National Library building

Register
Monday
21st of January | 16th of Shevat
16:15
Learning Together: Guidelines for Torah study

Mr. Yosef Leichter, the National Library

The National Library building

The Maimonides Seminary

Register
Tuesday
January 22nd | 17th of Shevat
14:00
Evidence of the "Lost" Maimonides libraries found in the National Library in Jerusalem

Afternoon Scholar with Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson, Chancellor of the Hebrew University

The National Library building

The Maimonides Seminary

Register
Thursday
January 31st | 25th of Shevat
14:00
Gallery Talk on the Exhibition: "There was None Like Moses"

How popular legends dealt with the figure of Maimonides

Prof. Eli Yassif, scholar of Jewish folklore and the Hebrew medieval narrative, Tel Aviv University

Register

February 2019

Sunday through Thursday
11:00
Rebbes of Torah

Joint study of the laws of Talmud Torah

*No registration is required

On the basis of free space

Register
Thursday
February 7th, the 2nd of Adar Aleph
17:00
Gallery Talk on the exhibition

There was None Like Moses: From the Invention of Printing to the Digital Age

Making Maimonides Accessible Then and Now: Vision and Reality

Rabbi Dr. Yohai Makbili, the Mishne Torah Project

Register
Sunday
February 10th, the 5th of Adar Aleph
16:15
Learning Together

A brief but deep study of sections of "HaYad HaHazaka"

with Rabbi Yechiel Goldhaber

Register
Wednesday
February 13th, the 8th of Adar Aleph
14:00
Afternoon Scholar with Dr. Eliezer Malchiel

Was Maimonides Human?

What place does the humanist value system – individual and human values – hold in the life of a religious person?

Dr. Eliezer Malchiel, the Department of Philosophy at Ben-Gurion University, and Herzog College

Register
Tuesday
February 19th, the 14th of Adar Aleph
16:15
Learning Together

A brief but deep study of sections of "HaYad HaHazaka"

With Rabbi Yechiel Goldhaber

Register
Wednesday
February 27th, the 22nd of Adar Aleph
14:00
Afternoon Scholar With Prof. Elchanan Reiner

In the Blink of an Eye: Maimonides' Brief Stay in the Land of Israel

Prof. Elchanan Reiner, the National Library

Register

Directions

The National Library
The National Library Address
Edmond J. Safra Campus, Givat Ram
POB 39105 Jerusalem, Israel
Public Transportation:
Bus lines: 7, 7H, 9, 14, 35, 35H, 42, 66, 66H, 68.
Parking
Parking is available in the parking lot near the main entrance, to the right of campus security.
Accessibility
The main entrance of the campus is fully wheelchair accessible.
Those arriving from the lower library parking lot should enter the library via the lower level entrance (push the doorbell button).
In the campus
When entering from the main entrance of the campus, the Library is located at the other end of the lawn.
The Israel Museum
Information
02-6708811 | [email protected]
Museum Address
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
POB 71117
Jerusalem, 9171002
Public Transportation
Bus lines: 7, 9, 14, 35, 66
Direct from Tel Aviv, line 100 from Shapirim Junction Parking
Information and schedules - dial Kol Kav *8787
Parking
Parking for cars and bycles outside the Museum
GPS - Avraham Granot Street
WAZE - Israel Museum