Extreme Leaders Decreed Death for Every Jew, What Did the Rambam Advise?

Eight hundred years ago, a dreadful calamity befell the Jewish community in Yemen. At that time, control passed to two extreme Muslim leaders who decreed death for any Jew who continued to adhere to the Jewish faith. The leader of the Yemenite Jews, Rabbi Yaakov ben Netanel Alfayumi, wrote a letter to our teacher, the Rambam, who was residing in Egypt, asking for help, advice, and guidance on how to strengthen the distressed Jews in Yemen.

The Rambam's response was an epistle he sent to the Jews of Yemen: "Iggeret Teiman" (The Epistle to Yemen). This epistle has not lost its relevance and remains suitable for every Jew across all generations and throughout the long diaspora.

In the letter, the Rambam explains the foundations of faith, highlighting the barrier dividing truth from falsehood, between the eternal Israel and the temporary existence of other nations.

The Rambam also fundamentally explains the meaning of exile and redemption, and how the prophets foresaw the poverty and suffering that would be the Jewish people's lot throughout the ages in the prolonged exile. The Rambam describes the figure of the true righteous redeemer.

The Rambam commanded to teach the epistle to people, women, and children, thus successfully saving the Jews of Yemen from the immense danger that loomed over their heads.

A central point in the "Iggeret Teiman" is the perpetual obligation to remember the Event at Mount Sinai. The Rambam explains that the very memory of this significant event is the pillar of strength for Jewish faith. Contemplating this occasion leads to the strengthening of the people of Israel in all circumstances and through all life trials.

He addresses his brethren, the Yemenite Jews, instructing them to educate their descendants to remember the singular event "the likes of which had not been and will never be again." From a young age, the memory of Mount Sinai must be embedded in the hearts of children so that it becomes an inseparable part of their personality.

Recalling the Event at Mount Sinai is also the advised counsel for each of us, to stand firm in complete faith in all the difficult and extended states of exile. With it, we can rise above the waves of time and truly return to the bosom of Jewish faith.

The Rambam's instruction: "Raise your children on this great event," has been a cornerstone and a fundamental principle in the educational framework of the next generation. Over all generations, in all the dispersions of the diaspora, young children absorbed within them the description of the thunder and lightning and the sound of the shofar, which resonated powerfully in the ears of all creatures worldwide. A child raised on such faith, even in times of distress, and even if the Torah is forgotten, Heaven forbid, will seek to understand what occurred during that awe-inspiring event: the giving of the Torah.

For generations, fathers and mothers, teachers and educators have taught and repeated the memory of the Event at Mount Sinai to their children and students, describing the heavenly revelations in the most vivid colors, binding their tender souls with the bonds of pure faith in the memory of the giving of the Torah to His people Israel, imprinting these matters deeply in their hearts for eternity.

The words of our teacher, the Rambam, remain relevant for all generations, including our own. We must continue to remember the divine revelation of the Event at Mount Sinai and cling to it with all our might. Thanks to this, the people of Israel will always have a strong and steadfast pillar of faith and reinforcement. As the Rambam expresses: "Raise your children on that event!"