The Rambam and the Deadly Challenge: The Brilliant Story of Wisdom Over Fear

Rabbeinu HaRambam (Maimonides) famously served as the personal physician of the King of Egypt. His success aroused deep jealousy among the king’s ministers, who constantly urged the king to dismiss him and appoint a Muslim doctor named Kamon instead.

“Why keep the Jew, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon?” they argued day and night. “Take a physician from your own people! Kamon is no less skilled than this Jew.”

The king knew these claims came from jealousy. He also knew the Rambam’s brilliance was incomparable. Yet he was pressured and finally agreed — reluctantly, to test them both.

A Deadly Test

The king summoned both physicians and presented them with a terrifying challenge:

Each doctor must try to poison the other. Whoever survives — by preparing an antidote in advance, will be appointed royal physician.

A lottery was drawn to determine who would drink first. The Rambam was chosen.

Kamon’s Lethal Poison vs. The Rambam’s Faith

Kamon hurried home and spent a full week preparing a swift and deadly poison — one from which no antidote could save a person.

Meanwhile, the Rambam placed his trust in God and prepared medicines to neutralize any poison. He instructed his students: “As soon as I drink his potion, lay me flat on the ground to slow my blood flow, then give me this remedy.”

The Test Begins

Before a tense Egyptian crowd, Kamon handed the Rambam his fatal concoction. Calm and composed, the Rambam whispered a long silent prayer and drank the poison in one gulp.

His students immediately laid him down and administered his antidote.

By God’s mercy, after a day and a half, the Rambam recovered.
Several days later he returned to his normal duties, healthy and fully restored.

Maimonides

Kamon’s Turn

When the Rambam approached to give his poison, Kamon trembled in fear. He knew the deadly poison he had given the Rambam — and had watched the Rambam survive it. Surely the Jewish sage’s poison must be unimaginably powerful.

Kamon had already stuffed himself with antidotes for days, preparing for the worst. What Kamon didn’t know was that the Rambam had simply gone into the palace kitchen and prepared a harmless drink:

• two cucumbers

• two tomatoes

• several peppers

• and a large amount of spices

It looked terrifying — but was completely harmless.

The Rambam handed him the cup. Kamon’s hands shook violently. He drank it — and quickly swallowed more antidotes.

He waited for chills, burning, weakness — but nothing happened.

This terrified him even more. “The poison must be extremely slow-acting… It must work only when combined with certain foods… maybe meat…”

So Kamon stopped eating meat. Then he avoided baked goods.
Then milk — unless it was milked before his eyes.

A Week of Fear

For a week, Kamon lived in torment — pacing, lying down, getting up, feeling his pulse, measuring his breaths, waiting for the “delayed” poison to activate.

One day the Rambam met him in the palace corridor. Kamon was pale, emaciated, barely skin and bone.

The Rambam asked gently: “Tell me… is it true that you’ve almost stopped eating? And when you drink a little milk, how do you feel?”

Kamon’s face turned even whiter than the milk he was drinking.
He collapsed on the spot — dead. His heart simply stopped.

The King Demands Answers

The king was astonished. He summoned the Rambam and asked: “Tell me — what was in that poison of yours that kills only after a week?”

The Rambam replied: “Heaven forbid that I should do such a thing!
I never poisoned him at all. The powers of healing God gave me are for giving life — never for taking it.”

The king was speechless. “So how did he die?” he finally asked.

The Rambam explained: “He killed himself through fear. His imagination convinced him he had been poisoned. That fear — not any potion, destroyed him.”

The king honored the Rambam more than ever.

The lesson is clear that negative imagination can be more destructive than any poison. Fear alone can ravage the mind, body — even life itself.