This book is a literary-historical study of the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides' great Code of Jewish law, organized around five characteristics repeatedly emphasized by Maimonides himself: codificatory form, scope, classification, language and style, philosophy and law. The analysis attempts to correlate his own self-perception, his own characterization and evaluation of his work, with the actual product--an objective assessment of the constructs, categories, and conclusions of his work, shaken free of struts and preconceptions.

The book studied here was chosen because of its importance in Hasidism and because it is one of the first books published about this movement. This publication helps to understand the text in MAGGID DEVARAV LE-YA’AKOV and answer questions about Hasidism in the 18th century- Its roots, its objectors and followers, its relationship with the Haskalah and Zionism movements and more.