A significant person in Judaism, Moses Maimonides: HSC Studies of Religion

Criteria (NESA 2025 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(c), SoR II Q27(c)). 7: a thorough evaluation of how ONE significant person or school of thought provides direction for a meaningful life for Jewish adherents, clear and relevant evidence, integrated terminology. 5 to 6: a sound evaluation. 3 to 4: an explanation. 2: an outline. 1: general statements about Judaism. (NESA's "answers could include" used Abraham Joshua Heschel; Maimonides is equally valid.)

Plan using Maimonides.

1. Direction in belief. The Thirteen Principles give a clear statement of what a Jew affirms, sung weekly in the Yigdal hymn; "The foundation of all foundations ... is to know that there is a Primary Being" (Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 1:1).
2. Direction in practice. The Mishneh Torah makes the whole of halakhah accessible, so every area of life (prayer, Shabbat, food, business) can be sanctified.
3. Direction in character. The "middle path" between extremes (Human Dispositions 1:4) and repentance (Laws of Repentance).
4. Direction in giving. The eight levels of tzedakah, highest being to help a person become self-supporting (Gifts to the Poor 10:7).
5. Evaluate. Very strong and enduring (daily Rambam study; the basis of the Shulchan Arukh), but contested: his rationalism provoked opposition, some of his philosophy is accepted by few today, and Reform and other movements do not accept all Thirteen Principles as binding.

Source: NESA, 2025 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2024 marking guidelines, SoR I Q21, SoR II Q32). 17 to 20: a comprehensive and accurate analysis of the impact of ONE significant person or school of thought on Judaism, integrating the statement effectively throughout, detailed and accurate information and integrated terminology. 13 to 16: accurate analysis, statement integrated. 9 to 12: some analysis. 5 to 8: general statements. 1 to 4: general statements about Judaism.

Plan using Maimonides.

1. Agent of change: law. The Mishneh Torah (completed about 1178) reorganised the entire Oral Law into 14 books, in clear Hebrew, without Talmudic debate; it changed how law was studied and decided and underpins the Shulchan Arukh (Joseph Karo, 1565).
2. Enriching the faith: belief. The Thirteen Principles (Commentary on the Mishnah, Sanhedrin 10) gave Judaism its most widely used creed.
3. Enriching the faith: philosophy. The Guide for the Perplexed (about 1190) reconciled Torah with Aristotelian reason, influencing Jewish, Christian (Aquinas) and Muslim thinkers.
4. Inspiring new expression. The Yigdal hymn and Ani Ma'amin; daily Rambam study cycles; the eight levels of tzedakah shaping Jewish philanthropy.
5. Analyse the conflict. The Maimonidean controversy: his works were denounced and, in 1232 or 1233 (sources differ), burned in Montpellier; later the Guide inspired both rationalists and critics.
6. Judgement. "From Moses to Moses there arose none like Moses": the most influential Jewish thinker since the Talmud.

Source: NESA, 2024 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2023 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(c), SoR II Q27(c)). 5: an accurate and detailed explanation of how the contribution is evident in Judaism today, clear and relevant examples, integrated terminology. 4: accurate explanation. 3: an explanation with some examples. 2: general statements. 1: general statement(s) about Judaism.

Model points (Maimonides).

1. In the synagogue. The Yigdal hymn, based on the Thirteen Principles, is sung in many congregations; the Ani Ma'amin statements are printed in many prayer books.
2. In study. The Mishneh Torah is studied daily in the Rambam study cycle and cited in yeshivot and rabbinic rulings.
3. In law. The Shulchan Arukh, the standard Orthodox code, draws heavily on the Mishneh Torah.
4. In ethics. The eight levels of tzedakah shape Jewish charity (for example interest-free loans and job programs).

Source: NESA, 2023 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2022 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(c), SoR II Q27(c)). 6: an accurate and detailed explanation of the contributions of ONE significant person or school of thought on encouraging people to live together, integrating the stimulus with clear and relevant examples. 4 to 5: accurate explanation using the stimulus. 2 to 3: some explanation. 1: relevant statements. (NESA's sample answer used the Baal Shem Tov and Hasidism; Maimonides also works.)

Model points (Maimonides).

1. A shared law. The Mishneh Torah gave scattered communities from Yemen to Spain a single, accessible code, so Jews could live by the same halakhah.
2. A shared creed. The Thirteen Principles gave a common statement of belief.
3. Care for one another. Tzedakah as the "identifying mark" of the righteous (Gifts to the Poor 10:1) and the highest level, helping a person become self-supporting (10:7).
4. Leadership. His Epistle to Yemen (1172) encouraged a persecuted community; as a communal leader in Egypt he served Jews and, as a physician, Muslims too.

Source: NESA, 2022 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2021 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(b), SoR II Q27(b)). 6: thorough and accurate information on the contribution, with clear and relevant evidence integrated and accurate terminology. 4 to 5: accurate information with clear evidence. 2 to 3: some accurate information. 1: general statements.

Model evaluation.

1. Law. The Mishneh Torah systematised all of halakhah: an enormous and lasting contribution.
2. Belief. The Thirteen Principles became the best-known Jewish creed.
3. Philosophy. The Guide for the Perplexed showed that faith and reason can coexist.
4. Judgement with limits. Unparalleled in scope, but contested in his lifetime and after (the Maimonidean controversy); later codes and Kabbalah moved in different directions; progressive movements reinterpret his principles.

Source: NESA, 2021 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

Criteria (NESA 2019 marking guidelines, SoR I Q16(a), SoR II Q27(a)). (i) 3: accurately outlines ONE contribution. (ii) 4: demonstrates a clear understanding of the impact on the expression of Judaism, integrating terminology; 3: some understanding; lower marks for general statements.

NESA's sample for (i) used Maimonides, citing his "many writings", including the "Mishnah Torah" (the correct name is Mishneh Torah), the Commentary on the Mishnah and the Guide for the Perplexed.

(i) Model. Maimonides compiled the Mishneh Torah (completed about 1178), a 14-book code covering every area of Jewish law, written in clear Hebrew and arranged by topic so any Jew could find the law.

(ii) Model. It shaped expression by making halakhah accessible to ordinary Jews, not only Talmud scholars; its rulings passed into the Shulchan Arukh, which governs Orthodox practice in prayer, Shabbat, kashrut and family life; and his Thirteen Principles are voiced in worship through the Yigdal hymn.

Source: NESA, 2019 HSC Studies of Religion examination and marking guidelines.

The Thirteen Principles are Maimonides' summary of the essential beliefs of Judaism, set out in his Commentary on the Mishnah (introduction to Sanhedrin chapter 10). They affirm that God exists, is one, has no body and is eternal; that God alone is to be worshipped; that prophecy is true and Moses was the greatest prophet; that the Torah is from heaven and will not be changed; that God knows human deeds and rewards and punishes; and that the Messiah will come and the dead will be resurrected. They are sung in the Yigdal hymn.

Marking: 1 for identifying them as a statement of core belief, 1 for accurate content, 1 for the source or liturgical use.

Before

Jewish law was spread across the vast, argumentative Talmud and later rulings, accessible only to expert scholars.

The work

Maimonides' Mishneh Torah (completed about 1178) organised the whole of halakhah into 14 books by subject, from the foundations of belief to the laws of kings, in clear Hebrew, giving the conclusion without the debate. He intended it to let a person know "the entire Oral Law" without other books.

Development

It made the law accessible to ordinary Jews, standardised practice across communities, and became the foundation of later codes, especially Joseph Karo's Shulchan Arukh (1565), which is still the basis of Orthodox practice.

Controversy

Critics such as Rabbi Abraham ben David (the Rabad) objected that omitting sources would weaken study; commentaries were then written to supply them.

Marking (Original): 5 for context, accurate description, effects on development, and a nuance.

Tzedakah

"We are obligated to be careful with regard to the mitzvah of charity to a greater extent than all [other] positive commandments" (Gifts to the Poor 10:1). His eight levels of charity rank giving by the dignity it preserves; the highest is helping a person become self-sufficient through a gift, loan, partnership or work (10:7).

Character

The "middle path" (Human Dispositions 1:4): balanced traits between extremes, with humility and patience as exceptions where one should go further.

Repentance

His Laws of Repentance set out the steps of teshuvah (recognising the sin, regret, confession, resolving not to repeat it).

Medicine

As a physician he taught care for health as a religious duty, relevant to Jewish bioethics.

Marking (Original): 5 for at least three ethical contributions with references and explanation.

Thesis

Maimonides' impact is unmatched since the Talmud: he defined Jewish belief, systematised Jewish law and showed that faith and reason could coexist, although each of these achievements provoked debate.

Belief

The Thirteen Principles became the most widely known Jewish creed (Yigdal; Ani Ma'amin), though some later thinkers questioned whether Judaism should have dogmas at all.

Law

The Mishneh Torah underpins the Shulchan Arukh and is studied daily today; critics objected that it omitted sources.

Philosophy

The Guide for the Perplexed influenced Jewish rationalism and Christian scholastics such as Thomas Aquinas, but provoked the Maimonidean controversy (works burned at Montpellier in 1232 or 1233).

Ethics

The eight levels of tzedakah shape Jewish philanthropy today.

Judgement

His impact is foundational for Orthodox Judaism and influential across all movements, even where progressive Jews reinterpret his principles.

Marking (Original): 7 for sustained analysis across several areas with evidence and a judgement.