Sefer Chasidim (“Book of the Pious”): what it is, authorship and content
The Sefer Chasidim (ספר חסידים), “Book of the Pious,” is the foundational work of the Chasidei Ashkenaz, a mystical and ascetic movement that flourished in Germany in the 12th and 13th centuries. Tradition attributes it to Rabbi Yehuda HeChasid of Regensburg (d. 1217), but it is not the work of a single author.
Quick facts
| Title | Sefer Chasidim (“Book of the Pious”) |
| Attribution | Rabbi Yehuda ben Shmuel HeChasid of Regensburg (d. 1217) |
| Origin | The Rhineland, between the late 12th and early 13th centuries |
| Language | Hebrew |
| Manuscripts | Thirty-seven containing texts of the book have been identified |
| First editions | Bologna (1538 according to Wikipedia; Sefaria gives 1487), and Basel, 1580 |
Who wrote it?
It is a composite work, not a uniform one. According to the sources:
- Shmuel HeChasid, Yehuda’s father, is credited with the first twenty-six sections.
- Moritz Güdemann holds that the book contains three revisions of an original work, of which Yehuda was undoubtedly the author.
- Rabbi Elazar Rokeach (of Worms), a disciple of Yehuda, made important additions.
- Some recent scholars even dispute that Yehuda was an “author” in the strict sense, and Ivan Marcus holds that no single original text ever existed. Scribes and collectors used different recensions, so some passages appear two or three times.
The book thus gathers the combined teachings of Shmuel of Speyer, Yehuda ben Shmuel and Elazar of Worms.
What it contains
Sefaria describes it as an ethical and legal guide to everyday life. It teaches the righteous how to dress, speak, pray, work, sleep, deal with non-Jewish neighbors and make life decisions, such as whom to marry and where to live. It stresses avoiding honor, wealth and physical pleasure, and its legal rulings are generally strict.
Wikipedia lists among its topics piety, repentance, Shabbat, tefillin, tzitzit, mezuzot, charity, honoring parents, prayer and visiting the sick. It combines ethical, ascetic and mystical teachings with elements of German popular belief. Because of its abundance of real-life detail, it is considered a prime source for studying the Jewish civilization of medieval Germany.
Structure and editions
- The Basel edition has 1,172 paragraphs; the most recent, 1,903.
- The two best-known versions are the Bologna printing and the Parma manuscript. Wistinetzki’s edition, based on the Parma manuscript, was published by Mekitzei Nirdamim in 1891 and reprinted in 1955.
- There are commentaries, among them Brit Olam, by Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai (see the biography of the Chida), Mishnat Chasidim, by Saadia Helvona, Mekor Chesed, by Reuven Margoliot (1924) and Mishnat Avraham, by Avraham Aharon Price (1955).
- Zunz translated selected parts into German.
Significance
It influenced the religious practices and the Hebrew literary style of Ashkenaz and shaped the discourse on Jewish ethics in medieval Europe. Wikipedia notes that it served as a final authority for authors of Halacha from the 15th century on, a claim without a citation in the article itself.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Sefer Chasidim?
Tradition attributes it to Rabbi Yehuda HeChasid of Regensburg, but it is a composite work, with contributions from his father Shmuel and his disciple Elazar of Worms.
Who were the Chasidei Ashkenaz?
A mystical and ascetic movement of 12th–13th-century Germany, with no direct connection to the Hasidism of Eastern Europe founded by the Baal Shem Tov.
When was it printed?
In Bologna (1538 according to Wikipedia, 1487 according to Sefaria) and in Basel in 1580.
Sources
- Sefer Hasidim, reference article (English Wikipedia)
- Sefer Chasidim, entry on Sefaria
- Judah ben Samuel he-Hasid of Regensburg, Jewish Encyclopedia