Maimonides

Mosheh ben Maimon (or Mūsā ibn Maymūn, acronymed RaMBaM ‎ — for "Rabbeinu Mosheh Ben Maimon", "Our Rabbi/Teacher Moses Son of Maimon"), and Latinized Moses Maimonides, was a preeminent medieval Spanish, Sephardic Jewish philosopher, astronomer and one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages. He was born in Córdoba (present-day Spain),Almoravid Empire on Passover Eve, 1135 or 1138, and died in Egypt on December 12, 1204, whence his body was taken to the lower Galilee and buried in Tiberias. He was a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt.
== Tossup Questions ==
# One of this thinker's works presents the Parable of Palace to illustrate those who have come close to certainty in spiritual matters. Another of his works outlines thirteen principles, including the incorporeality of God and the coming of the Messiah. The former work analyzes Ezekiel's vision of a chariot, or merkavah, to show that Jewish philosophy is partly metaphysical. He rejects the Aristotelian and kalam views of creation in that work, which argues that God can only be talked about in statements about what God is not. For 10 points, name this author of Commentary on the Mishnah and Guide for the Perplexed, a Jewish philosopher from medieval Spain.
# One of this thinker's works claims that one should help poor people out of sadness rather than pity in a section that outlines this mans' eight levels of giving, or Tzedakah. This man wrote that laws may take fourteen forms, or shorash, in The Book of Commandments. Another work by him examines the merkavah vision and criticizes the methods, but not the conclusions of the kalam scholars. This man developed a list of 13 essential aspects of his faith in his commentary on the halakah. Another book by this author of the Mishneh Torah was written for Joseph ben Judah and attempts to clarify the relationship between medieval philosophy and Jewish beliefs. For 10 points, name this Spanish thinker who wrote Guide for the Perplexed.