Q&A: Did Maimonides Believe in Mazal?
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Did Maimonides Believe in Mazal?
Question
Did Maimonides believe in mazal? In Hilkhot Forbidden Relations 21:31, did he rule like Rav Ashi in Yevamot 64b regarding a woman whose husbands die, that mazal is the cause?
Answer
When I discussed the presumption established after three occurrences, I explained that the mazal there is not really mazal. It refers to nature. The claim is that even if we have no explanation, there is apparently some natural explanation that is hidden from us.