The Book of Direction to the Duties of the Heart

Bahya Ibn Pakuda was born c. 1050, and lived
for some time in Saragossa in Spain. His major work was written in Arabic, but
it is most well-known by its Hebrew title Hovot
ha-Levavot (Duties of the Heart). It enjoyed enormous popularity and was
reprinted many times.



In the book Bahya investigates the
motivation of Jewish practice and embarks on a philosophical enquiry into the
nature of God, religion, and man. He was very much influenced by the
Neoplatonism of his age, as well as by the Muslim mystics.



This edition by Menahem Mansoor is the
first translation of the work from the original Arabic text, and this shows a
number of variations from the Hebrew version. He has added an Introduction and
Notes which draw attention to the influences on Bahya's thought and to other
relevant material.



'The accepted and normative translation .
. . reliable and readable. This book
belongs in even the smallest collections of Judaica, as well as of ethical
literature.' Choice