Rambam on Gehinnom (or Did Rambam Hold by Gehinnom as a Post-Mortem Spiritual Punishment?)

Have any questions, insights, or feedback? Send me a text! Length: 2 hours 17 minutes Synopsis: This morning (11/1/26), I gave a YBT Sunday Shiur on the weighty and controversial topic of what the Rambam holds about Gehinnom. Specifically, does the Rambam agree with the traditional concept of Gehinnom as a post-mortem spiritual punishment? As I mention at the outset of the shiur and at several points throughout, I feared this shiur would start off well, then crash and burn. It’s the only Sunday Shiur I did not feel prepared for at the time it began, because it expanded in scope at the last minute and I didn’t have time to account for that. Thankfully, the shiur went over well! It’s a little messy at the end, but I believe I achieved all the goals I stated at the outset. Feedback is always welcome, but here I’m especially interested in disagreements, counterarguments, and evidence I hadn’t considered. ----- מקורות: Rabbi Dr. Isadore Twersky, An Introduction to the Code of Maimonides (Mishneh Torah), pp.234-235 רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות, אבות א:ה; ד:יז; ה:כ רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות, הקדמה לסנהדרין פרק חלק רמב"ם - פירוש המשניות, הקדמה משנה עדיות ב:י רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר שופטים, הלכות סנהדרין והעונשין המסורין להם כג:ח רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות יסודי התורה ד:ז-ט; ה:ד רמב"ם - משנה תורה: ספר המדע, הלכות תשובה ג:ג, ה-ו; ח:א-ה; ט:א ערובין דף יט עמוד א ראש השנה דף טז עמוד ב - דף יז עמוד א דרור ארליך - על השמטת מושג הגיהינום מ'משנה תורה' לרמב"ם, חלמיש למעיינו מים, עמ' 235-255 מיוחס לרמב"ם - מילות ההגיון פרק ד Menachem Kellner, Must a Jew Believe Anything? (Second Edition), p.154, note 12; pp.157-158 Rabbi Dr. Marc B. Shapiro, The Limits of Orthodox Theology, p.137 Moshe Halbertal, Maimonides: Life and Thought, p.141 Hannah Kasher, Some Notes About the Ultimate Punishment, p.97 Howard Kreisel, Reward and Punishment in Medieval Jewish Philosophy, p.43, note 51 משנה אבות ד:יז (גירסת הרמב"ם) ר' יצחק שילת - רמב"ם מדויק, הלכות תשובה ג:ו (הערה) כתב יד אוקספורד, הנטינגטון 80 (ספר המוגה) - הלכות תשובה ג:ו Rabbi Saul Zucker, WhatsApp exchange, 11/26/25 רמב"ן - תורת האדם, שער הגמול לו-לז; מד-מז (לפי חלוקת ספריא) רמב"ן - אגרת לרבני צרפת Rabbi Moshe Maimon, private email correspondence, 11/17/25; 11/24/25 ----- The Torah content for the month of November is sponsored by Judah and Naomi Dardik in honor of the upcoming wedding of Dovid Lichter and Leora Cohn, and in honor of all those who serve the needs of the community. ----- If you've gained from what you've learned here, please consider supporting my work via Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal — links below. Even a small contribution helps cover production costs and gives me the freedom to create more Torah content. To sponsor a day's or week's worth of content, or to inquire about tutoring or teaching, reach me at rabbischneeweiss at gmail. Thank you for listening, reading, and supporting my efforts to make Torah ideas available and accessible to everyone. Patreon | [Venmo: @Matt-Schneeweiss] | [Zelle/PayPal: mattschneeweiss at gmail] Substack | YouTube | YUTorah | Instagram Podcasts: The Stoic Jew | Machshavah Lab | The Mishlei Podcast | Rambam Bekius | The Tefilah Podcast WhatsApp Content Hub | Old Blog | Amazon Wishlist