The Rambam as seen by Rationalists, Hassidim, and Via his own Words

I'm not delving into any of the complexities here rather the basic POV, Hashqafah, or Weltanschauung when approaching the Rambam.

Do we bring in our agenda or see his writings as they are?

Rationalists:
Arch Rationalists view the Rambam as perfectly logical and therefore - in their opinion - as antithetical to mysticism. To them the Rambam is like a Medieval "Bertrand Russell", who sees a merely mechanical mathematical world devoid of spirituality. His law is mechanical, and his philosophy is Aristotelian.

Evangelical Hassidim tend to see the open practice and preaching of "kabbalah" to the masses as certainly being consistent with the Arizal and feel somehow that the Rambam would go along with the program. After all Rambam discusses Angels and that knowledge of Hashem [gnosticism] is the highest ideal...

Via his own words
[Centrists]:
Centrists would acknowledge that the Rambam did have his feet on the ground. But they also take note of him having his head in the sky, too.

EG A careful read of Yesodei Hatorah will reveal a simple Maimonidean view of mysticism. Yet Rambam tips his hand that this is really a highly sophisticated subject when in 2:11 he points out that his simplistic structure are merely drops in the ocean. It is possible that Rambam knew this on faith but was not intimately familiar with the more sophisticated elements of Maaseh Merqavah. Possible, but unlikely. How deep the Rambam's knowledge was in these areas is far beyond my ability to judge, but it is a given that it was a profound level.

Furthermore, as above, the Rambam DOES preach that knowledge of Hashem [gnosticism] is the highest ideal, but he insists it is a private, intimate, and esoteric affair. Not only is this HIS judgment, rather Rambam quotes this as a Mitzvah of Hazal to teach this privately and only the "roshei p'raqim".

Whether the Rambam is your paradigm role model or not is irrelevant. The point of this post is to map the territory AS IT IS and to minimize - as much as humanly possible - any super-imposing of belief systems or prejudices upon the Rambam's own statements

I will BEH be embarking on a series on "Mapping the Territory".

KT
RRW