Epistle to Yemen and the Thirteen Principles of Faith

Rambam's Letter to the Jews of Yemen on the Messiah, Astrology, the History of Israel, and the Thirteen Principles of Jewish Faith

"A study of the letter indicates that Maimonides touches on some fundamental problems of his age and solves them in a manner and tone worthy of his character and his intellect. -- Prof. Abraham S. Halkin

In the year 1165, the Jewish community of Yemen was in grave crisis. The fanatical Muslim ruler of Yemen presented the Jews with a choice: conversion to Islam or martyrdom. And a zealous Jewish apostate began a campaign to convince his former co-coreligionists to convert to Islam, preaching that Mohammed was a divinely-sent prophet alluded to in the Bible. And if that was not enough, an impoverished Yemenite Jew began proclaiming that he was the long-awaited Messiah.

In desperation, the Yemenite Jewish community turned to the greatest scholar of the generation: Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides, and in Hebrew, Rambam. Maimonides, not yet 40 years old, had recently been appointed Nagid (leader) of the Egyptian Jewish community. Maimonides had experienced first-hand the persecution of Muslim extremists in his homeland of Spain, where his family had chosen exile rather than forced conversion at the hands of the Almohad Muslims. It is not surprising that Maimonides was acutely sensitive to the plight of the Jews of Yemen.

Maimonides responded to Rabbi Jacob’s inquiry with his Epistle to Yemen (Iggeret Teiman). Despite the obvious dangers involved, Maimonides wrote his bold response in Arabic so that his response would be understood by all members of the threatened Yemenite community. Maimonides also used his influence at the court of Saladin to intervene in their behalf, and the persecution of the Jews of Yemen ceased.