BAḤYE IBN PAQUDA (second half of the eleventh century), also known as Baḥya; Jewish moral philosopher. Virtually nothing is known of Baḥye's life, except that he probably lived in Saragossa and served as a dayyan, a judge of a Jewish court. His Hebrew poems, only a few examples of which are extant, were highly regarded by at least one medieval critic. All are on religious themes, and most were composed to serve in the liturgy. His two best-known poems, intended for private devotion, are both appended to his magnum opus, a treatise on the inner life of religion written in Arabic and titled Al-hidāyah ila farāʾid al-qulūb (Right guidance to the precepts of the hearts). Composed sometime between 1050 and 1090, this work, in the Hebrew translation by Yehudah ibn Tibbon titled Ḥovot ha-levavot...