concept in Kabbala, the inter-connectedness of the lower Kavod and higher Kavod is crucial for the Chassidei Ashkenaz. The lower Kavod is not separate from the higher Kavod but instead emanates from it. As in Kabbala, there are many symbols and descriptions used to explain and refer to the Kavod. For example, in various Ashkenazi Hasidic works, the Kavod is referred to by the names of Demut Yakov Chakuk al Kisai HaKavod, Tiferet Yisrael, Kruv, Kisai Hakavod, Atara, Shin, Bas, and Sod. Many of these references are present in "Shir Hakavod" by Rabbi Samuel the Pious, a poem written in praise of the Kavod. Major work Sefer Hasidim, by Rabbi Judah the Pious, is the most important work of the Chassidei Ashkenaz. The themes depicted within it most significantly portray the religious ideology of the Chassidei Ashkenaz. Sefer Hasidim contains over two thousand stories. Sefer Hasidim are told to individuals gathered around a leader and this leader was called a hasid bakhamor a Pietist Sage. The Pietist, as an individual but even more as a Sage, was existentially responsible for the transgressions of his fellows, indeed for the transgressions of Jewish society as a whole Samuel's son Judah went farther and depicted him as the head of a sect. Two versions of the Sefer Hasidim exist, the Bologna Edition and the Parma MS Edition, and a debate about which one represents an earlier version persists. Major themes The central idea of Sefer Hasidim its that there is a hidden will of God ("Ratzon Haborei") for his followers well beyond what is prescribed in the written and oral Torah, and the true worshiper of God seeks to fulfill the Ratzon Haborei. “We have not found it (the Torah) of ample strength (Job 27:23): - the Torah did not express the will of the creator, nor did it address itself to the needs of man.” Thus, there are an abundance of novel directives present in Sefer Hasidim, each one representing Ratzon Haborei. In fact, Rabbi Judah the Pious stipulates in the introduction to the book that one of his primary goals in writing Sefer Hasidim was to make this hidden will of God accessible to those who wish to find it: [This book] is written for those who fear God and are mindful of His name. There is a Hasid whose heart desires, out of love for his creator do His will,