Rishonim
Akeidat Yitzchak
15th-century philosophical commentary on the Torah based on sermons the author delivered to his congregation.
Derashot HaRan
14th-century compilation of 12 discourses elucidating the fundamentals of Judaism alongside explanations of the Torah.
Duties of the Heart
11th-century treatise that details ten principles of spiritual life, focusing on obligations performed with the heart, like repentance.
Duties of the Heart
11th-century treatise that details 10 principles of spiritual life, focusing on obligations performed with the heart, like repentance.
Eight Chapters
Maimonides’ 12th-century philosophical introduction to Pirkei Avot, analyzing the soul, human purpose, and free will.
Guide for the Perplexed
Maimonides’ 12th-century philosophical masterwork, written as a letter to his student demonstrating the compatibility of Judaism and philosophy.
HaEmunot veHaDeot
10th-century treatise of Rav Saadia Gaon providing rational proof for traditional beliefs.
Kuzari
12th-century philosophical and apologetic dialogue between a rabbi and a pagan king about the truth and superiority of Judaism
Ma'amar al Yishmael
13th-century polemical work of the Rashba refuting an Islamic scholar who had attacked Judaism.
Minchat Kenaot
14th-century collection of correspondence about a campaign against the study of rationalist philosophy like the works of Maimonides.
Ohr Hashem
15th-century work of Rabbi Chasdai Crescas defining the principles of faith and criticizing attempts to harmonize Aristotelian rationalism with Jewish theology.
Sefer HaIkkarim
15th-century work detailing three principles of faith: God’s existence, the Torah’s divine origin, and divine reward and punishment.
The Wars of the Lord
14th-century work by the rationalist Ralbag on the basic tenets of faith, modeled after the Guide of the Perplexed.
Treatise on Logic
Maimonides’ 12th-century brief introduction to Aristotelian logic, written in Arabic in his early years.
Yesod Mora VeSod HaTorah
12th-century treatise of the Ibn Ezra with philosophical explanations of biblical commandments.
About Rishonim
Rishonim (“the first ones”) were leading rabbis and thinkers who lived in the 11th through 15th centuries.
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