Chovos Halevavos A New Editon of a Timeless Masterpiece

Reviewed by Chaim Yehuda Meyer

 Once asked about how he became who he was, Rabbi Avigdor Miller responded that he learned Chovos Halevavos (Duties of the Heart) daily. This classic sefer was written in the early eleventh century by Rabbeinu Bachya Ibn Pakuda, a dayan in Sargossa, Spain, then under Muslim rule. It is one of the earliest mussar sefarim and is widely known as the bedrock of mussar. Indeed, Rabbi Chaim Soloveichik of Brisk called Chovos Halevavos the “Shulchan Aruch of Yiddishkeit,” and it was studied by such far-flung gedolim as Rabbi Yosef Karo, author of the Shulchan Aruch, the Vilna Gaon, and by all communities across the centuries.

Rabbeinu Bachya wrote in a sophisticated, philosophical style, in Arabic, to reach the masses. The sefer’s Hebrew translation mirrors this style, making it difficult to understand his main points. All this has changed with the recent publication of The Concise Chovos Halevavos: Timeless Wisdom in an Easy-to-Read Format, edited by Rabbi Ilan Siegel and Rebbetzins Devorah Eisenbach and Miriam Samsonowitz.

The editors have brought the classic mussar work of Rabbeinu to light for the English-speaking public, layman and scholar alike. Rabbi Siegel points out that no major point was omitted. Each chapter is divided by topic, with subtopics that break down the main ideas. Explanations are provided for each idea with sources in Tanach and the Talmud. The result is a clear and absorbable sefer that does not lose its valuable lessons.

How It Came About

Rebbetzin Eisenbach started learning the Shaar HaBitachon section of Chovos Halevavos with Rebbetzin Henny Machlis over 40 years ago. Through siyata d’Shmaya, Rebbetzins Eisenbach and Samsonowitz began learning the sefer together over eight years ago and jointly realized that they could do a great service to the community by providing an easily readable text of this life-changing work. As Rebbetzin Samsonowitz points out: “A table of contents is provided to enable the reader to focus on areas of particular interest. The text is divided into short paragraphs separated by lines. Numbers and subtitles are utilized to facilitate reading. Sources cited by the author are shaded, so they can be skipped if one wants to read only the text.”

Rabbi Simcha Kohn, head of the Gateshead Seminary, has called the Concise Chovos Halevavos a work that will have great impact and long-lasting effect on all who read it. According to Rabbi Ahron Lopiansky, Rosh Hayeshiva of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, “[This] precise summary in English will enable [readers] to reap the benefits of learning [Rabbeinu Bachya’s] holy words.” Mrs. Rena Tarshish, Menaheles of Mesores Rochel, has stated that Rebbetzins Eisenbach and Samsonowitz have taken a fundamental Jewish classic that many have found difficult to understand and have written “an easily understandable text presenting its timeless ideas.”

A Lesson

It is our great fortune that in Concise Chovos Halevavos we have a clear, readable, and organized summary in English that preserves the lessons of Rabbeinu. Here is a sample:

The topic of the benefit of teaching others is pursued in the chapter on “Loving Hashem,” under the sub-category of how to tell if a person loves Hashem. Rabbeinu Bachya writes, “[A good teacher] teaches people to serve Hashem, from the simplest to the most scholarly, gently or strictly, using the best approach for each individual.” Of the student, it is written: “A wise man hears and takes a lesson.” (Mishlei 1:5). If you are receptive to the lesson, then you are truly wise. The purpose of teaching is “To give prudence to the innocent, knowledge and discretion to the youth.” (Ibid. 1:5). Once given the right direction, the student will know how to act in life.

It also states that “One who brings many people to righteousness is far greater than a righteous man who lives a life privately devoted to Hashem.” A mashal explains: “Two merchants came to a fair. One made a tenfold profit from his original 10 gold coins, earning a profit of 90 gold coins. The second merchant only made double, but since his original investment was worth 5,000 gold coins, his profit was 5,000 gold coins.”

The nimshal: “If one only improves himself, he will have a small merit. But if he improves himself and many others, his merit increases by the number of people he brought closer to Hashem. This certainly applies to Feldheim and the editors of The Concise Chovos Halevavos, who have done the public a great service by freeing us from struggling over translation to understand the points Chovos Halevavos is trying to convey.

During winter break, let us take Rabbeinu Bachya’s message to heart. Be a teacher to others! By learning Chovos Halevavos, using The Concise Chovos Halevavos as a guide, you can better understand Rabbeinu’s work and share it with others.