About
About the Author
Dr. Baruch Davidoff is originally from Johannesburg, SA where he attended King David School (a private fully Jewish School) from Nursery through to Matriculation.
He then went on to do a dental degree at the Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, and extended that degree in London – BDS (Rand) DGDP (RCS Eng).
He came to UK in 1974, and joined the Lubavitch organisation in Stamford Hill London, in 1978, where he settled down, became fully involved with all aspects of the Community and set up his dental business.
He currently continues with all these activities.
How it began…
In 1984, The Lubavitcher Rebbe made a call for everyone to learn Rambam’s Mishneh Torah in either a 1-year or a 3-year cycle.
In 2003 Dr Davidoff made a firm resolution to follow this Project, and began learning with 2 of his sons. It was at this point that he decided to summarise Mishneh Torah, to help his children access, and understand the work better.
And then it grew…
From simple beginnings, the summaries started growing into multi-level ones, and before long, he understood that they could very well also be used by others. Initially, the audience he had in mind were people who had very little knowledge of Judaism, and who could not read Hebrew well (the summaries were written in English), but as the summaries became more comprehensive, he could see they could also be useful for those who were already studying Mishneh Torah and were familiar with the Hebrew.
And so he added Rambam’s original Hebrew to the Comprehensive Summary.
At this stage it was important to get the halachic content of the summaries checked, and so he spent 1 year online with Rabbi Shabsi Tayar of Melbourne, who thoroughly checked all aspects of the work.
Rambam Press publishers grew from the need to publish the work.
16 years later on Daled Av, Taf Shin Ayin Tes (August 5th 2019) the work was launched at the Siyum HaRambam of that year.
Written on (24/06/20) ב’ תמוז תש’פ
Dr. Baruch Davidoff
Further information:
Haskomas can be found in the Introduction to the works.
Feedback from some of our readers can be found on our website.
Publicity received so far can be seen on our publicity page.
There are book samples on the website for browsing.
The ‘Studying Rambam’ Series of books, is a non-profit Project published by Rambam Press.
The Charity, Pesach and Nechama Davidoff Building Fund Ltd, which was set up to support building works for Lubavitch, is run by the author. All revenue from the Studying Rambam Project are channelled into the bank account of the Charity ‘Pesach and Nechama Davidoff Building Fund Ltd’ (Charity No. in UK is 1080242, and Company No. is 03868851).
The Charity was registered on 29th of October 1999 in loving memory of my parents Pesach and Nechama Davidoff AH, together with my brothers Dr Chanan Davidoff and Dr Reuven Davidoff.
It funds building works for educational institutes, supports religious activities, and aims to relieve poverty.
Initially we were funding the building works of Lubavitch Boys Primary School in London, which included the construction of a Hall and kitchen, and we have extended our support to other branches of Lubavitch Foundation (UK), based at 107-115 Stamford Hill, London N16 5RP.
We also contribute to Loan funds and individuals who are suffering poverty.
In relation to the Studying Rambam Series, the Charity has set up the Project, and is helping to fund it’s ongoing development and distribution of the publication worldwide.
Donate
If you’d like to make a donation please do so via our PayPal button below. You can choose to Donate via PayPal or by credit or debit card.
Background to the increased interest in studying Rambam’s Mishneh Torah
The studying of Rambam as a full study, and especially for the masses, was initiated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in the Spring of 1984.
The Rebbe said that the Mishneh Torah gathers all of Jewish law, in a concise and clear fashion, and that every Jewish individual is commanded to study the entire Torah. Normally this would not be within the reach of most people, but through the Mishneh Torah as compiled by the Rambam, this has become a possibility for everyone.
The Rebbe suggested a three-track system for its study:
- 3 chapters per day over 1 year, or
- 1 chapter per day over 3 years, or
- Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvot (Book of Commandments). This is the lightest of the options, whereby one learns only the listing of the 613 mitzvot, running concurrent with the 3 chapters per day, group, and even children are encouraged to participate here.
Today, thousands of Jews at all levels, have been studying the Mishneh Torah continuously since 1984.
Time-tables are available each year, whereby everyone learns the same chapters together, bringing an extra dimension of unity to the Project.
Our Studying Rambam Series is an attempt to reach out to a wider audience, to join the Rambam learning as envisaged by the Rebbe.
If you are able, please donate, or even better, purchase sets for your own use or for gifts.
Thank you!
B. Davidoff
Donate
If you’d like to make a donation please do so via our PayPal button below. You can choose to Donate via PayPal or by credit or debit card.