Conduct of Life, volume 1

Summary

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.