13 Adar · Yahrzeit
Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid - Sefer Chassidim
Rabbi Yehuda ben Shmuel HaChassid - Sefer Chassidim
Yahrzeit - 13 Adar
Resting place -
Rabbi Yehuda (1149–1217) - came from the city of Speyer in Germany, from the well-known rabbinic family of Kalonymus, which had moved to Germany from Italy in the 10th century. His father, Rabbi Shmuel, taught his son the secrets of Kabbalah.
In 1195, after terrible pogroms carried out by the Crusaders in the Jewish ghetto of Speyer and many other cities in Germany and France, he was forced, along with the remnants of the city's Jewish community, to move to Regensburg (Bavaria), where he soon founded a yeshiva in which the outstanding early commentators studied.
Among Rabbi Yehuda's students were the Tosafist sages: Rabbi Elazar ben Yehuda of Worms – author of "Sefer HaRokeach"; Rabbi Yitzchak ben Moshe of Vienna – author of "Or Zarua"; Rabbi Moshe of Coucy – author of "Sefer Mitzvot Gadol"; Rabbi Baruch of Mainz; and Rabbi Yehuda ben Kalonymus – author of "History of the Generations of the Sages of the Mishnah and Talmud."
In Europe, the name of Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid became legendary, thanks to his profound knowledge of Talmud and Kabbalah.
Rabbi Yehuda was a deeply righteous and highly spiritual man. He fasted every weekday, sustaining his body at night with only a small amount of food, and later he stopped eating even on Shabbat.
On Yom Kippur he fasted for two days in a row.
All the thoughts of his heart were directed solely toward fulfilling the Divine will with complete self-sacrifice in the Name of the Creator, as a result of which he merited the revelation of the prophet Eliyahu. The sages of Rabbi Yehuda's generation said that had he lived in the time of the Mishnah or the Talmud, he would have been counted among the most worthy of the sages, and had he lived in the time of the prophets, his prophetic vision would have illuminated the world with its radiance.
To him were applied the words of Scripture: "The secret of the L-rd is with those who fear Him..." (Tehillim, 25:14)
When in 1217 he lay on his deathbed and his students came to bid farewell to their teacher, they noticed that beside his bed the letters spelling the word "chassid" — (pious one) — began to glow.
Thanks to him, the Talmud was studied more closely in the study halls of the early commentators, and the hidden teaching was grasped, from which the great sages of that time drew spiritual strength and then passed their knowledge on to the entire nation.
The Tosafist sages drew knowledge and strength from their teacher, Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid.
Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid was one of those who saved European Jewry from destruction and disappearance, giving them, through his teaching, the strength to serve Heaven amid the harshest trials of that era.
His book "Sefer Chassidim" is a call to the Jewish people — to strengthen their faith in G-d, heal the soul, come to the service of Heaven, and through awe of G-d, merge with Him and find the strength to withstand any trial.
The book "Sefer Chassidim", unlike the Talmud and other works, offers simple, clear, and valuable advice on all the vital questions that arise for every person: how to elevate the soul, not break before the evil inclination, and preserve within oneself the Divine image in which man was created.
The advice of the great teacher points the way to success both spiritually and materially.
The author speaks of prayer, Torah study, relations with one's fellow man, building a family, charity, Shabbat, honoring parents and teachers, caring for the sick, accompanying the deceased, observing economic laws, purifying oneself from idolatry, correcting mistaken views, and much more that is so necessary for every Jew in refining their service to their Creator. Everything the author teaches us in his book is based on the commandments of the Torah and on the sayings of our sages, of blessed memory, found in the Mishnah and Talmud, and is accompanied by an abundance of parables and vivid examples that reveal the truth.
The book Sefer Chassidim is imbued with the author's faith, his love for the Most High, blessed be He, and for the people of Israel.
It reveals the deepest knowledge and understanding of the mysteries contained within the soul.
A special appendix to the book Sefer Chassidim is "The Testament of Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid," comprising 70 points relating to matters of family, birth, the choosing of children's names, death, private property, and other aspects of life.
This testament has, throughout the centuries, never ceased to amaze the sages, since the rabbi's conclusions not only did not follow from primary sources such as the Talmud or the hidden teaching, but sometimes even contradicted them, being the product of his own grasp of the mystery of creation.
Interestingly, all those who refused to follow the testament of Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid later acknowledged that he had been right.
He also composed the beautiful hymn "Shir HaKavod" — the Song of Glory, which is sung at the conclusion of the morning prayer on Shabbat and festivals. It begins with the words "Anim Zemirot", and thanks to its holiness, the ark would open.
Because of the special respect held for Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid among the sages of Europe, it became accepted in all subsequent generations to study the rabbi's testament closely and to regard his instructions as practical halacha.
His influence on the Jewish world was enormous. But he was also revered by non-Jews, who sought his advice — for example, the Duke of Regensburg.
Rabbi Yehuda HaChassid left this world on 13 Adar – may the merit of the tzadik protect our people!
(From the foreword to "Sefer Chassidim," published by "Beit Sefaradi")