General Introduction
Rambam’s main work, Mishneh Torah, stands apart from the entire body of rabbinic literature, unmatched by even the Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, or Shulchan Aruch.
While they are indeed extensive, none of these cover the entire, exhaustive body of Torah laws. Mishnah, for example, does not record commonplace laws such as tefillin and tzitzis. Shulchan Aruch does not include laws made irrelevant by our nation’s exile. Mishneh Torah is the only compendium to present the fundamental beliefs of Judaism, moral conduct, the complete range of laws applicable during times of exile, as well as the immense body of laws associated with former and future Temple times, such as the sacrifices, Temple duties, agricultural tithes, calendar calculation, ritual purity, and so on. In addition, Mishneh Torah contains with the laws pertaining to the future—the laws of Moshiach and the Redemption. According to Chabad tradition, even the mystical traditions of the Torah are incorporated in Mishneh Torah, Rambam being an unpublicized kabbalist.
Indications of Rambam as a Kabbalist
Rambam was a kabbalist and the source for many of the laws he sets down in his works are the Zohar and other kabbalistic teachings. Likkutei Sichos, vol. 16, p. 293.
Indeed, Rambam alludes to many kabbalistic concepts throughout his works. Likkutei Sichos, vol. 29, p. 676.
Clandestine mystic: See Likkutei Sichos, vol. 29, p. 676, based on the Previous Rebbe’s Sefer HaSichos 5703, pp. 344–345. According to a tradition from the Baal Shem Tov received by the Rebbeim of Chabad, Rambam was indeed a phenomenal master of Kabbalah. He was careful not to disclose his mysticism, or even to openly allude to it, due to it being dangerous to reveal kabbalistic concepts at that point in history.
Rambam’s secrecy led to many denying that he had any knowledge at all of Kabbalah. The Rebbe presents a list of numerous sources proving Rambam’s mystical knowledge—see the footnotes to Likkutei Sichos, ibid., and vol. 16, p. 293, as well as in Iggeret Kodesh, vol. 25, p. 145. Otherworldly knowledge: According to the tradition recorded in Sefer HaSichos of the Previous Rebbe (ibid.), so profound was Rambam’s understanding of mystical secrets that he is said to have had, in kabbalistic-chassidic terminology, “a grasp of Olam HaBeriah,” a knowledge of “da’as elyon,” and a mode of worship described as “yechuda ila’ah.”
A proof that Rambam studied Kabbalah is the fact that the Responsa of Rabbi Hai Gaon and of Rabbi Sherira Gaon include numerous kabbalistic concepts, and Rambam states in his Introduction to Mishneh Torah that he studied “all of the explanations, laws and responsa authored by the Geonim.” God forbid to suggest that Rambam skipped over these references… Shabbos Parshas Acharei-Kedoshim 5748 – Hisvaaduyos p. 448. See at length the Introduction to Mishneh Torah Ha-Shalem, published by Chazak, ft. 26:13.
