1 May 2021
Photo: NLI
“When I found that […] the knowledge of the duties of the heart was neglected, not contained in any book comprising all its origin, forsaken, with none of its chapters collected in one work, I was deeply astonished. I said to myself, ‘It may be that this kind of duty is not obligatory upon us, but it is commanded rather by way of morality (derekh ha-musar), in order to show us the right way and the straight path. Perhaps it is to be considered supererogatory, for whose neglect we are neither questioned nor punished. This may be the reason why the ancients have left it unnoted.’ Then I examined the duties of the heart as they are commanded by the mind, the Scriptures, and tradition, so that I might see whether they were obligatory or not. And I found them to be the basis of all duties. Were they not, all the duties of the members would be of no avail.”
(Baḥya ibn Paquda, The Duties of the Heart, Introduction)