Rambam In Depth: Injure and Atone the Torah Way

Rabbi Heschel Greenberg has launched a new series of classes on the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah in response to the Rebbe’s call to learn at least one halacha in depth.

The Rebbe initiated a major effort to unite all Jews with the study of the entire encyclopedic work, Mishneh Torah, by learning three chapters a day and complete the entire work in less than a year. Alternatively, one can learn one chapter and complete the entire Mishneh Torah in close to three years. The Rebbe also gave a third option to study Maimonides’ companion work, Sefer Hamitzvos that parallel the Mishneh Torah.

In addition, the Rebbe requested that we learn one halacha in depth.

We recently began the 42nd cycle of Mishneh Torah which inspired Rabbi Greenberg to record brief classes on selected passages of the Mishneh Torah.

Rabbi Heschel Greenberg is a shliach of the Rebbe in Buffalo NY and the Director of the Jewish Discovery Center, and, for the past 50 years, has taught thousands of classes on all aspects of Jewish knowledge.

Rabbi Greenberg has also authored dozens of works on diverse subjects including several volumes of commentary on the Mishneh Torah.

Many of Rabbi Greenberg’s classes can be accessed on his website rabbigreenberg.com.

If you hurt someone, you’d think you simply have to pay for their losses – medical bills, lost wages, etc. But the Torah says there’s more to it. According to Jewish law, causing harm is a sin that demands atonement between you, the victim, and God. Paying damages ransoms your body from further punishment.

In this video, we analyze the ethical reasoning behind these laws. While most assume they’re about compensation, the 12th century Rabbi Maimonides (the Rambam) unlocks the mystical side. Since our bodies belong to God, payments act as repentance for the injury you deserve in return. Through debate of Biblical verses and Talmudic stories, the Rambam reveals Judaism’s underlying spiritual basis for civil damages.

Join us as we explore this ancient teaching on taking responsibility beyond just legal and financial realms. The truths of atonement, forgiveness, and our relationship with the Divine can transform how we approach conflict, justice and relationships.