Episode 133: Rabbi Chaim Eisen "Why the Torah's Theology Needs to Make Sense"
About this episode
Rabbi Chaim Eisen discusses the relationship between Maimonides' metaphysics and the Torah's theology, exploring the implications for faith and understanding in the context of traditional Jewish thought.
One of our most frequently requested guests, Rabbi Chaim Eisen, returns for a wide-ranging conversation on the broader tradition of Ḥazal and the Rishonim, as illuminated through Maimonides’ cosmological framework. While Rambam describes the metaphysical structure of the universe—with its implications for providence, revelation, and miracles—in terms that reflect Aristotelian physics and cosmology, his goal was never to innovate a new philosophy, but to articulate the timeless truths of the Torah’s sages in the intellectual language of his era. Many assume that if the physics is outdated, the metaphysics must be too—but that assumption reflects a deep misunderstanding of how Maimonidean metaphysics stands independently of the physics and cosmology, and, moreover, how firmly that metaphysics stands within the mainstream rabbinic tradition. We explore how this unified worldview—shared by the overwhelming majority of the Rishonim—preserves the harmony between Torah, reason, and reality. The discussion also considers the potential role of Kabbalah as an alternative framework for our avodah (divine service), while recognizing the danger in reading its metaphors literally as a…
People in this episode
Guest: Rabbi Chaim Eisen
Topics covered
- Torah theology
- Maimonides
- metaphysics
- Aristotelian physics
- Kabbalah
- divine service
- theological questions
Keywords
- Torah
- theology
- Maimonides
- metaphysics
- Kabbalah
- faith
- Rishonim
- divine service
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Kabbalah
More episodes of JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED | A Guide for Today's Perplexed: Torah Foundations, Reason, and Tradition
- Episode 139: Rabbi Moshe Lichtman "Is Modern-Day Israel a Fulfillment o Prophecy?" (Audio)
- Episode 137: Rabbi Dr. Yosie Levine "Battlegrounds of the Early Modern Rabbinate"
- Episode 136: Rabbi Zach Millunchick "Exploring Rambam's Political Theory"
- Episode 135: Rabbanit Yael Leibowitz "Ezra-Nehemiah and Covenantal Responsibility"
- Episode 134: Alan Niku "The Forgotten History of Persian-Jewish Hakhamim"
- Episode 132: Rabbi Shnayor Burton "Rambam on Mashiach & Redemption"
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the JUDAISM DEMYSTIFIED | A Guide for Today's Perplexed: Torah Foundations, Reason, and Tradition podcast page.