''Kav ha-Yashar'' (lit. ''The Just Measure''; קב הישר),
authored by Rabbi
Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover
Rabbi Ẓebi Hirsch Kaidanover (c. 1650 – 1712), a native of Wilna; was the author of '' Kav ha-Yashar'' ().
He was the son of Rabbi Aaron Samuel Kaidanover and a pupil of Rabbi Joseph ben Judah Jeidel, rabbi of Minsk and later of Dubno. Rabb ...
(1648–1712; Rabbi at
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, son of
Aaron Samuel Kaidanover),
is an "ethical-
kabbalistic
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
collection of stories, moral guidance, and customs",
Moshe Idel
Moshe Idel ( he, משה אידל; born January 19, 1947) is a Romanian-Israeli historian and philosopher of Jewish mysticism. He is Emeritus Max Cooper Professor in Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and a Senior Researcher at the ...
:
and one of the most popular
works of
musar literature
Musar literature is didactic Jewish ethical literature which describes virtues and vices and the path towards character improvement. This literature gives the name to the Musar movement, in 19th century Lithuania, but this article considers such l ...
of the last 300 years.
It serves as a guide to "
God-fearing piety and to preserving the
norms of the community", framing its teachings in the context of "
individual providence and the
reckoning of sins and merits".
The title of the work alludes to the number of chapters it contains (קב = 102), as well as the author's name (הישר = הירש).
''Kav ha-Yashar'' is famous for uplifting the spirits of Jewish communities in Europe after the
Chmelnitzki Massacres of 1648-1649.
First published in 1705 in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, it has appeared in over 80 editions, in nearly every country in the world with a Jewish community.
Kaidanover also prepared a
Yiddish
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
version, which went through at least 10 editions.
[Introduction to "Sefer Kav HaYashar: The Just Measure", translation by Chaim. Y.]
The work draws on "''Yesod Yosef''", a ''mussar'' work infused with the
Kabbalistic
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
teachings of
the Ari written by Kaidanover's teacher
Yosef Yoske of Dubno;
ספרות-המוסר
tarbutil.cet.ac.il
and ''Kav ha-Yashar'' then constitutes "a deliberate effort to popularize Safedian ''Kabbalah'' by adopting a much more understandable style in Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
."
External links
''Kav HaYashar''
(at Sefaria
Sefaria is an online open source, free content, digital library of Jewish texts. It was founded in 2011 by former Google project manager Brett Lockspeiser and journalist-author Joshua Foer. Calling itself "a living library of Jewish texts", Sefar ...
)
References
{{ethics-book-stub
Jewish philosophical and ethical texts
Hebrew-language religious books
Sifrei Kodesh