The Two Different Endings of Sefer haMiddot

Abstract

The final chapter of Sefer haMiddot – a popular ethical work by an anonymous late medieval author, and called Orḥot Tzaddikim in its printed versions – is Sha‘ar Yir’at Shamayim. An early manuscript restores the original conclusion to this chapter, followed by an epitome called Simmanei Sefer haMiddot. This material was lost for well over five centuries. Sha‘ar Yir’at Shamayim asserts a dualism in which the soul animates the body like God animates the cosmos. The soul takes clear precedence over the body. To appreciate this dualism leads to fear of heaven, which is God’s greatest treasure. This chapter, devoted to a theological doctrine, is unique within Sefer haMiddot. Simmanei Sefer ha-Middot is a natural continuation of Sha‘ar Yir’at Shamayim. It also sharpens a global theme throughout the book, which places middot (ethics) alongside mitzvot (commandments) as constituting the exoteric will of God in its fullness. This substitutes ethics for the older esoteric doctrine of the Ḥasidei Ashkenaz, and is what makes the book distinct in medieval Jewish thought. The substitution of ethics for esoteric doctrine does not depend upon the final chapter’s doctrine of the soul, and the book thus ends in two different ways. An Appendix presents the full conclusion to Sefer haMiddot – Sha‘ar Yir’at Shamayim followed by Simmanei Sefer haMiddot – in a Hebrew text based upon a full synopsis of the manuscripts and in an annotated English translation.