Commonly known as , and also referred to by the acronym “Rambam” (רמב״ם‬, for Rabbeinu Moshe ben Maimon, “Our Rabbi Moses son of Maimon”), was a medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also a great astronomer and physician. Born in Cordoba, Spain on Passover Eve, 1135 or 1138 (depending on sources), he worked as a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt. He died in Egypt on December 12, 1204, whence his body was taken to the lower Galilee and buried in Tiberias.

During his lifetime, most Jews greeted Maimonides’ writings on Jewish law and ethics with acclaim and gratitude, even as far away as Iraq and Yemen. Yet, while Maimonides rose to become the revered head of the Jewish community in Egypt, his writings also had vociferous critics, particularly in Spain. Nonetheless, he was  acknowledged after his death as among the foremost rabbinical teachers and philosophers in Jewish history, and his work which comprises a cornerstone of Jewish scholarship. His fourteen-volume Mishneh Torah still carries significant authority as a codification of Talmudic law. He is sometimes known as “ha Nesher ha Gadol” (the great eagle) in recognition of his outstanding status as a great man of the Oral Torah.