The Duties of the Heart

What It's About

The Duties of the Heart is a foundational work of medieval Jewish ethics, arguing that religious life consists of two kinds of obligation: the "duties of the limbs" (outward acts of observance) and the "duties of the heart" (inward faith, intention, and devotion). Bahya contends that most people attend only to the former while neglecting the latter, and sets out to correct this by building a systematic account of the heart's proper relationship to God, arranged across a series of "gates" dealing with themes such as divine unity, trust, humility, and repentance.

Key Concepts

Central to the work are the ideas of tawhid-influenced divine unity, bitachon (trust in God), and the cultivation of sincere inner devotion as distinct from mere ritual compliance. Bahya draws heavily on Neoplatonic philosophy and the ascetic and mystical currents of contemporary Islamic thought, blending them with rabbinic tradition to argue for a reasoned, contemplative path toward closeness with God.

About the Author

Bahya ibn Paquda (c. 1050–1120) was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived in Zaragoza under Muslim rule in what is now Spain. He held the position of dayan, a judge at the rabbinical court. Little else is known of his life, though his writing shows deep familiarity with both rabbinic literature and Arabic, Greek, and Roman philosophy.

About This Edition

This is a 1909 translation by Edwin Collins.