--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Maimonides says that the Messiah…" description: "\"When Maimonides says that the Messiah will come but that 'he may tarry,' we see the origin of every Jewish shrug from Spinoza to Woody Allen.\" — Christ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/christopher-hitchens-117_may_when-maimonides-says-that-the-messiah-wi_2479995.jpg" --- # When Maimonides says that the Messiah will come but that… ![“When Maimonides says that the Messiah will come but that 'he may tarry,' we see the origin of every Jewish shrug from Spinoza to Woody Allen.” quote by Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/christopher-hitchens-117_may_when-maimonides-says-that-the-messiah-wi_2479995.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/christopher-hitchens-117_may_when-maimonides-says-that-the-messiah-wi_2479995.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3be/christopher-hitchens-117_may_when-maimonides-says-that-the-messiah-wi_2479995.jpg) > “When Maimonides says that the Messiah will come but that 'he may tarry,' we see the origin of every Jewish shrug from Spinoza to Woody Allen.” [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jewish hesitation about the Messiah reflects a historical pattern of skeptical humor. **In simple terms:** Jewish shrug stems from historical skepticism. Key Takeaway Recognize humor in theological debates. Themes theology skepticism culture Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical scholarly When to use this quote - interfaith dialogues - academic lectures - literary analysis Key Concepts historical criticism philosophy of religion humor studies Questions to Reflect On - Why does humor persist in religious discourse? - How does skepticism shape belief? A Different Perspective Humor may downplay serious theological concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jewish Shrug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jewish-shrug-852177/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maimonides-852180/) [Maimonides Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maimonides-says-852178/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Messiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messiah/) [Says Messiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-messiah-361556/) [Shrug Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrug-spinoza-852179/) [Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spinoza/) [Woody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woody/) ## Related quotes > [“Maimonides, the medieval writer, says you can try three times for a reconciliation before giving up and that’s enough, then you can stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-berger-gross/maimonides-the-medieval-writer-says-you-can-try-three-times-for-a/) [Jessica Berger Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-berger-gross/) > [“Judaism says, “The Messiah is going to come, and that’s the end of history”; Christianity says, “The Messiah is going to come back, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-brand/judaism-says-the-messiah-is-going-to-come-and-that-s-the-end-of/) [Stewart Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-brand/) > [“Thus it is written that the messiah would suffer and rise again on the third day," Jesus instructs his disciples (Luke 24:44–46). 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