Maimonides' Omissions: Explaining Exclusions from Mishneh Torah
Comprehensive guidelines posited by interpreters as to why Maimonides excluded certain laws from his Mishneh Torah
Summary
My published article presents an in-depth compilation of guidelines outlined by interpreters to clarify why Maimonides chose to exclude certain laws from his Mishneh Torah. Maimonides himself expressly indicated that his Mishneh Torah was intended to be a comprehensive compilation of Jewish law, aiming to encapsulate all pertinent laws for every generation.
Various reasons led Maimonides to omit some laws from his Mishneh Torah, which are categorized in the study into extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic reasons refer to those that depict the laws omitted by Maimonides for reasons unconnected to the inherent nature of the law, such as ambiguity or inconsistency. Intrinsic principles, on the other hand, characterize the types of laws that Maimonides omitted due to their inherent qualities, like laws reliant on tradition or those not pertinent to future generations.
The article itemizes 13 principles for each category, offering examples and references for each principle. It extensively cites commentators and critics who have discussed Maimonides' omissions, offering either justification or criticism for these decisions.
Citation
Ezra Brand, “Principles of the Omission of Halachot in the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides” (Hebrew), Hamaayan (53:2, Tevet 2013), pp. 31-54
עזרא ברנד, "כללי השמטת דינים מספר 'משנה תורה' לרמב"ם", המעין נג, ב (טבת תשע"ג), עמ' 31-54
Where to find the article
PDF:
Link to PDF and text:
https://www.machonso.org/hamaayan/?gilayon=28&id=978
Also here, text only: http://shaalvim.co.il/torah/maayan-article.asp?backto=&ed=%E2%EC%E9%E5%EF%20%E8%E1%FA%20%FA%F9%F2%E2%20&id=693
Cited by
Marc Shapiro, Changing the Immutable: How Orthodox Judaism Rewrites Its History (2015)
ר' עדיאל ברויאר, בתוך אשכול "השמטות הרמב"ם - להשמיט חלק מהסוגיה בגלל שהמסקנה לא התקבלה?", פורום אוצר החכמה (11 אוקטובר, 2015)
ר' הראל דביר, "טהרת נשים לקרבן פסח – שימוש באמצעים פרמקולוגיים", אסיא צה-צו (תשע''ה) עמ' 125-134
ר' מיכאל אברהם, "כללים טריוויאליים ככללים שליליים: על פסיכולוגיה ולוגיקה (טור 221)", באתר שלו (https://mikyab.net/)
ר' יוסף גבריאל בקהופר, "בגדר חיוב קידוש השם ויהרג ואל יעבור", פני משה: לכבודו ולזכרו של ר' משה יצחק עזרל ז"ל (תשפ"ב)