Maimonides anti-astrology stance can be best described in his letter to the learned rabbis of Marseille. Astrology and Star-worship were found in tandem throughout the ancient worlds. Typically, this took the form of pleasing or appeasing the planetary gods with rituals, sacrifices, and other ‘bribes’. The Sabians were an ancient people that practices this type…
“Nonsense is nonsense, but the history of nonsense is science”. This oft quoted remark was uttered by the eminent scholar, Saul Lieberman in his introduction to Gershom Scholem’s talk about the scientific study of Kabbalah. ‘Nonsense’ being a belief in the existence of the Kabbalah’s unseen upper worlds, of armies of angels, belief in the…
I am interested in astrology as a system that supports and enforces Torah values; I believe that the dictum ובחרת בחיים’ (דברים 30:19)’ , ‘choose Life’ may be interpreted in light of the Midrash: ‘Rabbi Simone said every herb without exception has a heavenly mazal [angelic supervisor] that strikes it and says to it: ‘Grow!’…