Rabbi Bachya ben Joseph ibn Paquda
Rabbi Bachya ben Joseph ibn Paquda was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived in Zaragoza, Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain) during the 11th century. He is best known for his seminal work 'Chovot HaLevavot' (Duties of the Heart), which is considered one of the major works of Jewish ethics and spirituality. The exact dates of his birth and death are not known, but he is believed to have lived during the first half of the 11th century.
Ibn Paquda's 'Chovot HaLevavot' is a comprehensive guide to ethical and spiritual development in Judaism. The book is divided into ten sections, each dealing with different aspects of religious and moral duties of the heart. It was one of the first Jewish works to introduce the idea of inner piety, emphasizing the importance of intention and the inner moral and spiritual life, in addition to the external observance of the commandments prescribed by the Torah.
His work had a profound influence on both his contemporaries and later generations. It was widely studied and commented upon by numerous scholars and remains a key text in the study of Jewish ethics. Ibn Paquda's philosophical approach integrates rational thought with devout faith, aiming to demonstrate that true religious observance must involve both the mind and the heart.