What are Middot?

Mosheh ben Maimon (משה בן מימון), called Moses Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn  or RaMBaM (Hebrew acronym for "Rabbi Mosheh Ben Maimon"), was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the most prolific and followed Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages. He was born in Córdoba, Almoravid Empire (present-day Spain) on Passover Eve, 1135, and died in Egypt (or Tiberias) on 20th Tevet, December 12, 1204. He was a rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt.

יז  וְכָל אֵלּוֹ הַדְּבָרִים--כְּדֵי לָכֹף יִצְרוֹ, וּלְתַקַּן דֵּעוֹתָיו.  וְרוֹב דִינֵי תּוֹרָה אֵינָן אֵלָא עֵצוֹת מֵרָחוֹק מִגְּדוֹל הַעֵצָה, לְתַקַּן הַדֵּעוֹת וּלְיַשַּׁר כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים; וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר "הֲלֹא כָתַבְתִּי לְךָ, שָׁלִשִׁים--בְּמֹעֵצוֹת וָדָעַת.  לְהוֹדִיעֲךָ--קֹשְׁטְ, אִמְרֵי אֱמֶת; לְהָשִׁיב אֲמָרִים אֱמֶת, לְשֹׁלְחֶיךָ" (משלי כב,כ-כא).

All of these ordinances are to subjugate one's evil inclination and improve one's character. Similarly, most of the Torah's laws are nothing other than "counsels given from distance" from "He Who is of great counsel" to improve one's character and make one's conduct upright. And so it is written Proverbs 22:20-21: "Behold, I have written for you in the Torah prominent matters, to inform you of the veracity of the words of truth, so that you will respond truthfully to those who send to you."

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