Conduct of Life, volume 1

Moses Almosnino · Jean Pierre Rothschild · Walter Hilliger

Jul 2023 · Le Cercle Hilliger

About this ebook

The major work of Rabbi Moses Almosnino (1515-1580), “Conduct of Life,” remains to this day an essential reference in classical Judeo-Spanish literature, now finally available in English in its first translation. First published in Ladino in 1564 as, Sefer Hanhagat ha-hayim In 1729 as “Reghimiento de la vyida”, this three-volume edition is part of the prestigious collection Veritas è terra orietur. The introduction by Jean-Pierre Rothschild, Director of Research at CNRS and Director of Studies at EPHE, specializing in medieval philosophy, enlightens the reader on the foundations and stakes of the work. The first volume aims to provide practical advice for leading a good life from an early age. It emphasizes the distinction between spiritual, physical, and external goods (Volume 1, chapters 1-3), including suggestions on dietary habits, sleep and waking, going to bed and getting up, walking and sitting, speaking and silence (chapters 4-10), the four types of discourse, and why the righteous die young (chapter 11). Finally, it addresses questions on eschatology, classical philosophy, and theodicy (chapters 12-14). “Conduct of Life” draws heavily from the Nicomachean Ethics but transcends this source by situating itself at the universal intersection of several traditions: Greco-Arabic philosophy, Judeo-Christian scholasticism, classical Sephardic Judaism, and medieval Jewish thought. Thus, this work contributes to peace and intercultural understanding among peoples.

About the author

R. Moses Ben Barukh Almosnino (c. 1515-1580) was a major figure in Classical Judaism. He settled in the Ottoman Empire, and possessed extensive knowledge of both Jewish and secular subjects and was known for his Responsa and exegeses of Jewish texts. He also took an interest in various scientific fields, translating and commenting on works by Aristotle and other scholars. R. Moses Almosnino wrote on topics such as ethics, including commentaries on the Nicomachean Ethics and Pirkei Avot. He also authored “Extremos y grandezas de Constantinopla,” a historical work in Judeo-Spanish. His original work “Regimiento de vidas,” (Conduct of Life) a treatise on ethics, was published during his lifetime in 1564 and remains a reference in classical Judeo-Spanish literature.

Jean-Pierre Rothschild is a French historian and emeritus research director at CNRS, and a director of studies at EPHE, holding the chair of Hebrew Language and Literature in the Medieval and Modern West. He directs the Revue des Etudes Juives (Journal of Jewish Studies). His research themes include the bibliography of late mediaeval Latin authors and texts, mediaeval translations from Latin to Hebrew, and late mediaeval Hebrew and Latin scholastic philosophy.

Walter Hilliger is a man of letters, essayist, translator, and editor of the collection “Veritas è terra orietur”. He dedicates himself to paleography, restoration, digitization, transcription, annotation, and publication of facsimiles and unpublished manuscripts of major texts of Iberian Judaism, following the expulsions of 1492 and 1497. He translates them from Latin, Castilian, and Judeo-Spanish into English, contemporary Spanish, and French, introduces and annotates them, and invites specialists to write the introductions of the translated works. His efforts have helped preserve these works from oblivion by making them accessible to a wider audience.