Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg

Who was Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg?

Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg, also called HeHasid or 'the Pious' in Hebrew, was a leader of the Chassidei Ashkenaz, a movement of Jewish mysticism in Germany considered different from kabbalistic mysticism because it emphasizes specific prayer and moral conduct.

Judah settled in Regensburg in 1195. He wrote Sefer Hasidim, Sefer Gematriyot and Sefer Hakavod, the latter has been lost and is only known by quotations that other authors have made from it. His most prominent students were Elazar Rokeach and Moses ben Jacob of Coucy.