A Book of Knowledge for the Nations of the World.
Number of pages: 260
Language: English
Weight: 350 grams
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Author’s Preface
On the pages of this book, we will not provide commentary or detailed explanations on the ways of observing the Seven Commandments of the Descendants of Noah—this purpose is addressed in a separate work entitled The Seven Commandments of the Almighty (The Divine Code).
The present work offers a description of the paths of morality that a person should choose, guided by sound reason, in order ultimately to discover and reveal within himself the “image and likeness of God” according to which he was created, and likewise to recognize this “image” in another human being.
The inspiration for this work came from the Book of Knowledge (Sefer Ha-Madda) of the great sage Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (1135–1204 CE), also known as Maimonides or Rambam. This work is the first of the fourteen volumes of his monumental composition Mishneh Torah, which codifies the laws of the Oral Torah.
In this book, Rambam explains the paths of the Torah that lead to Truth and to Knowledge grounded in complete faith. Therefore, the principal ideas of the present work are drawn from the elevated teachings of Rambam, and in some cases they expand upon and clarify them, in order to present these explanations specifically for readers from the Nations of the World who seek to acquire the qualities of righteousness.
Know, then, that it is impossible to contain within the bounds of a single book all qualities and virtues without exception, as well as all the known paths by which they may be attained. The purpose of this work is to acquaint the reader, in general terms, with the true principles concerning the conduct of a righteous person.