Rambam really was our Moses
1 These tzitzis from ancient Egypt (with the blue thread and all) confirmed my growing realization that the Torah wasn't made up out of whole cloth but a modification of pre-existing norms and beliefs.
As I’m still not completely certain who in ancient Egypt wore these garments and what they symbolized I won't guess. But they were a very specific garment and there was a very specific meaning behind it.
One thing we KNOW the Tzitzis DID NOT MEAN to its ancient Egyptian wearers was a reminder of the commandments he “who took you out of Egypt to be your God”.
THAT was the innovation.
Moses did not relay from the mountaintop how to make wool, cloth, fringes, dye, clothing, or even this style of clothing.
He relayed what the clothing are properly supposed to mean to us.
And Rambam somehow knew all this (Moreh 3:32).
My first day in Egypt I went to the Pyramids. My second day in Egypt I went to seek Maimonides.
Being here helps me viscerally understand how he was able to figure out so much of what he did. He was surrounded by the remnants of the oldest empire on Earth and, not coincidentally, the one the Torah most strongly intends to refute.
I’m certain he researched ancient Egypt. As a royal physician he had easier access than nearly anybody.
When I was a kid the fact that Rambam lived in Egypt was just exotic and a cool thing to think about. As an adult though I understand the intellectual/spiritual attraction that the region must have held for him.
Here's a video regarding Maimonides' Morals, also from an Egyptian context, both ancient and modern.
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