The entire Mishne Torah of the Rambam translated into Russian.
The idea came as a result of a weekly Rambam class given by the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Berel Lazar, to a group of Jewish Moscovite intellectuals, amongst them lawyers, professors and the like.
For the past few years, the group has been gathering to study complex issues together, to examine and deliberate complicated laws, as they also roll up their proverbial sleeves in order to assist Russian Jewry.
It was during their regular classes, in which the Rambam is studied along with its commentaries, that the need for a full Russian translation of the texts became very evident.
The special project was assigned to Rabbi Boruch Gorin, Chief of the Moscow publishing house “L’chaim”, and the project began immediately
Philanthropist David Aminov took the full financial burden on himself, while dozens of knowledgeable translators and editors, from Moscow and abroad, enthusiastically joined this mammoth project which took a number of years to complete. In an incredible show of Divine Providence, the fourteenth and last tome came off the printing press just a few days ago, as all over the globe hundreds of thousands celebrated the completion of the thirty eighth cycle in daily study of the Rambam, as per the Rebbe’s request.
Thanks to the Rebbe’s many Shluchim throughout Russia, Rambam is now studied regularly by a very wide audience of Russian speakers. Now, with this new publication available, which includes the entire Yad Hachazaka along with translations, study of the Rambam has become so much easier and more accessible. This, in turn, will no doubt bring many more Jews to join the circle of regular Rambam study, and give the Rebbe much nachas.
Photography: Levi Nazarov / Eli Itkin
