Broad and Specific meanings of Sôphrosunê or Zehiurs

Iyun Lemachshava English · Jun 4, 2026 · 1m

This shiur examines the virtue of zehirus (temperance/self-control) as presented in Rambam's Shemonah Perakim, tracing how abstract virtue-language developed from Biblical Hebrew's verb-based expressions to the Sages' philosophical terminology. The discussion analyzes three rabbinic terms—zehirus, yirat chet (fear of sin), and nefesh shefalah (lowly soul)—showing how they correspond to the Greek concept of sophrosyne, which Aristotle restricted from Plato's general self-control to specifically mean proper desire for physical pleasures. The Rambam follows Aristotle's narrow definition…