''Mesillat Yesharim'' or ''Mesillas Yeshorim'' ( he, מסילת ישרים, lit. "Path of the Upright") is an ethical ('' musar'') text composed by the influential

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Moshe Chaim Luzzatto Moshe Chaim Luzzatto ( he, משה חיים לוצאטו, also ''Moses Chaim'', ''Moses Hayyim'', also ''Luzzato'') (1707 – 16 May 1746 (26 ''Iyar'' 5506)), also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL (or RaMHaL, ), was a prominent Italia ...

(1707–1746). It is different from Luzzato's other writings, which are more philosophical. ''Mesillat Yesharim'' was written and published in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. The earliest known manuscript version, written in 1738, was arranged as a dialogue between a ''hakham'' (wise man) and a ''hasid'' (pious person). Before publication, it was rearranged to have only one speaker. The dialogue version often sheds light on the more well-known version. ''Mesillat Yesharim'' is probably Luzzato's most influential work, widely learned in virtually every ''

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

'' since formal study of musar texts was introduced to the yeshiva curriculum by the Mussar Movement of

Yisroel Salanter Yisrael ben Ze'ev Wolf Lipkin, also known as "Israel Salanter" or "Yisroel Salanter" (November 3, 1809, Zhagory – February 2, 1883, Königsberg), was the father of the Musar movement in Orthodox Judaism and a famed Rosh yeshiva and Talmudist. ...

Aim of the work

The aim of this work extends beyond the achievement of the perfection of human character in Divine service. Its stated aim is to remind the reader of one's deepest obligations in this regard, as well as to encourage the centrality of the deep study of this subject matter in one's daily life. Unlike many other musar books, which are ordered according to the authors' own lists of character traits, Luzzato builds his work on a

Beraita ''Baraita'' (Aramaic: "external" or "outside"; pl. ''Barayata'' or ''Baraitot''; also Baraitha, Beraita; Ashkenazi: Beraisa) designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. ''Baraita'' thus refers to teachings "o ...

in the name of the sage

Pinchas ben Yair Pinchas ben Yair ( he, פנחס בן יאיר) was a '' Tanna'' of the 4th generation who lived, probably at Lod, in the late 2nd century. He was the father-in-law of Shimon bar Yochai and a fellow disciple of Judah haNasi. He was more celebrat ...

, whose list goes in order of accomplishment: :"Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair said: Torah leads to watchfulness; watchfulness leads to alacrity; alacrity leads to cleanliness; cleanliness leads to abstention; abstention leads to purity; purity leads to piety; piety leads to humility; humility leads to fear of sin; fear of sin leads to holiness; holiness leads to prophecy; prophecy leads to the resurrection of the dead".Quoted in many places, including

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

Avodah Zarah ''Avodah Zarah'' (Hebrew: , or "foreign worship", meaning " idolatry" or "strange service") is the name of a tractate of the Talmud, located in ''Nezikin'', the fourth Order of the Talmud dealing with damages. The main topic of the tractate is ...

20b Within each step, Luzzatto explains the step itself, its elements, how it can be acquired, and what might detract from its acquisition. For example: Watchfulness can be acquired by setting aside time for introspection, and acquiring watchfulness can be impaired by excessive mundane responsibilities, wrong company or a cynical stance in life. The same pattern is used for every single one of the traits mentioned.

Outline

: Introduction : Man's General Duty in His World (Ch. 1) : Watchfulness (''zehirut'') (Ch. 2-5) : Alacrity (''zerizut'') (Ch. 6-9) : Cleanliness (of sin, ''nekiyut'') (Ch. 10-12) : Abstention (of improper practices, ''perishut'') (Ch. 13-15) : Purity (''tahara'') (Ch. 16-17) : Piety (''chassidut'') (Ch. 18-21) : Humility (''anava'') (Ch. 22-23) : Fear of sin (''yirat chet'') (Ch. 24-25) : Holiness (''kedusha'') (Ch. 26-27) : Epilogue

Influence

''Mesillat Yesharim'' is perhaps the most important

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

ethical text of the post-

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

period. The

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...

is reported to have commented that he couldn't find a superfluous word in the first eleven chapters of the work, and stated that he would have traveled to meet the author and learn from his ways if he'd still been alive. These and similar pronouncements largely cleared Luzzato from misgivings by others as to his suspected Sabbatean leanings.

Text, translations, and commentaries

* Complete ''Messillat Yesharim'' online
Hebrew original

English translation
* Translations ** Luzzatto, Moses Hayyim. Messillat Yesharim: The Path of the Upright; translated by Mordecai Kaplan from the critical edition. Philadelphia:

Jewish Publication Society The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...

. . ** Luzzato, Rabbi Moshe Chayim. Mesillas Yeshorim; translated by Rav. Yaakov Bar Yosef. Netzari Faith Publishers. . ** Luzzato, Rabbi Moshe Chayim. Mesillas Yeshorim; translated by Yosef Leiber. New York: Feldheim Publishers. . ** Luzzato, Rabbi Moshe Chayim. The Path of the Just; translated by Yaakov Feldman. New York:

Jason Aronson Jason Aronson was an American publisher of books in the field of psychotherapy. Topics dealt with in these books include child therapy, family therapy, couple therapy, object relations therapy, play therapy, depression, eating disorders, persona ...

Publishers. . ** Luzzato, Rabbi Moshe Chayim. The Complete Mesillat Yesharim; translated by Avraham Shoshana and associates. Cleveland:

Ofeq Institute Ofeq, also spelled Offek or Ofek ( he, אופק, ''lit.'' Horizon) is the designation of a series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites first launched in 1988. Most Ofeq satellites have been carried on top of Shavit 2 launch vehicles from Palma ...

. . * Commentaries on Messilllat Yesharim **

Ira F. Stone Rabbi Ira F. Stone (born 1949) is a leading figure in the contemporary renewal of the Musar movement, a Jewish ethical movement. Career Stone was ordained as a rabbi at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1979, and proceeded to serv ...

's commentary, included in the new

edition of the book (). ** Hillel, Yaakov Moshe
Ascending the Path: Insights Into Mesillat Yesharim
Jerusalem: Yeshivat Hevrat Ahavat Shalom. 7 vol ** Ohr La'Yesharim on Mesilat Yesharim with a compendium of commentaries and explanations by great rabbis from the Musar Movement. ** Mesilat Yesharim with commentary Sod L'Yesharim, a compendium of commentaries and explanations from other books by the Ramchal. ** Mandelbaum, Alexander Aryeh. Bam'silah Naale. *
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh on Mesilias Yesharim

References

{{authoritycontrol Jewish philosophical and ethical texts 1740 books Hebrew-language religious books Sifrei Kodesh