''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 it ...
, son of
Aaron Samuel Kaidanover),
is an "ethical-
kabbalistic collection of stories, moral guidance, and customs",
[ Moshe Idel: ]
and one of the most popular
works of
musar literature 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 ve ...
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 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)
References
{{ethics-book-stub
Jewish philosophical and ethical texts
Hebrew-language religious books
Sifrei Kodesh