Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith)

THIS IS A WEBYESHIVA.ORG MACHSHAVA MASTERY PROGRAM COURSE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MACHSHAVA MASTERY PROGRAM OR TO APPLY PLEASE CLICK HERE.

This course explores Jewish principles of faith, focusing on Maimonides’ thirteen principles, the theory behind them, and their meaning and applicability in normative Judaism.

We will ask: What are the origin and function of these principles? How central are they to Jewish identity? Is Judaism defined more by belief or by practice? How do we draw the line between what is fixed and what is flexible in normative Jewish belief? And how should we relate to Jews, past and present, who have diverged from these principles?”

                                            
                                            Next Class
                                        February 22, 2026
4
Days
18
Hours
55
Mins

                                                Timezone
                                            
                                            Time of Class
                                        
                                                        Sunday                                                    

                                                        3:00 pm, 4:00 pm

Classes

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January 18, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 1: Does Judaism have principles of faith, and, if so, what are they for?

Handouts

Syllabus and Suggested Readings Course Reader Part 1 Slides from Lecture 1 Review Questions

Archives

Download Video audio

January 25, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 2: Are Maimonides’ 13 principles of faith authoritative? Modern perspectives.

Handouts

Slides Review Questions

Archives

Download Video audio

February 1, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 3: On the significance of alternative lists of principles of faith in medieval rabbinic writings

Handouts

Slides Review Questions

Archives

Download Video audio

February 8, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 4: How to relate to Jews today who do not accept the principles

Handouts

Slides Review Questions

Archives

Download Video audio

February 15, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 5: The first two principles: What must me believe about God and about His Oneness?

Handouts

Slides Review Questions

Archives

Download Video audio

February 22, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 6: God has no body, but does He have feelings? Reflections on the third principle.

Handouts

Course Reader Part 2

March 1, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 7: Principles of faith as boundaries of interpretation: Rambam on Creation and the fourth principle

March 8, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 8: How to visit the graves of tzadikim without violating the fifth principle

March 15, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 9: “This is the Torah that Moses put before Israel” – accuracy of the biblical text, the Jacobs affair, and the eighth and ninth principles.

March 22, 2026 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 10: What is the difference between the resurrection and the World to Come? Rambam’s “Letter on Resurrection” and the thirteenth principle.

March 29, 2026 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 11: Mashiach today, and perspectives on the Lubavitcher Rebbe and the twelfth principle

April 12, 2026 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Ikkarei HaEmunah (Fundamentals of Faith): Ikkarei HaEmunah

Class description

Lesson 12: Conclusions and review for the final exam

Rabbi Mark Smilowitz

Rabbi Mark Smilowitz was ordained at Yeshiva University and earned his doctorate at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for his thesis about the relationship between Halakhah and philosophy in the thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He has taught Judaic studies in schools and seminaries for over twenty years in Teaneck, Seattle, Beit Shemesh, and Jerusalem. Rabbi Smilowitz lives in Beit Shemesh with his wife Michelle and their family.