Nechama Leibowitz

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Nechama Leibowitz (1905 in Riga, Latvia – 12 April 1997 in Jerusalem) was a noted Israeli biblical scholar and commentator, who rekindled an intense interest in the study of the Bible and its commentaries among Jews everywhere.

Leibowitz was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Riga, two years after her elder brother, the philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz. The family relocated to Berlin in 1919, and in 1930 she received a doctorate from the University of Berlin for her thesis, Techniques in the Translations of German-Jewish Biblical Translations. That same year, she immigrated to Palestine, where she taught at a religious Zionist teachers's seminar. She taught there for twenty-five years, until 1955. In 1957 she began lecturing at Tel Aviv University, and eleven years later she was appointed full professor there. She also gave classes in many other institutions throughout the country.

In 1942, Leibowitz began distributing stencils of questions on the weekly Torah reading to anyone who requested them. These sheets, called just "Pages," would be sent back to her, and she would personally review them and return them with corrections and comments. Within a short while, these sheets became immensely popular, and people from all segments of Israeli society would request them, thus becoming better acquainted with the weekly readings. In 1954, Leibowitz began publishing her "Studies", which included many of the questions from her "Pages," along with selected traditional commentaries and her own notes on them. Over time, these studies were collected into five books, paralleling the five books of the Pentateuch.

In addition to her writings, Leibowitz also commented on the Torah readings regularly for the Voice of Israel radio station. In 1956, she was awarded the Israel Prize for her work in furthering greater understanding and appreciation of the Bible.

Though Leibowitz was involved in intense academic research into the Bible and its commentators, she lectured frequently in many different public forums.

Even as a professor, she was noted for her modest demeanor coupled with wry wit, and always preferred the title of "teacher" over the more prestigious "professor." In accordance with her request, "מורה" (morah, "teacher") is the only word inscribed on her tombstone.

[edit] See also

Leah Abramowitz, Tales of Nehama: Impressions of the Life and Teaching of Nehama Leibowitz. Gefen Publishing House, 2003. ISBN 965-229-295-8.
Shmuel Peerless, To Study and to Teach: The Methodology of Nechama Leibowitz. Urim Publications, 2005. ISBN 965-7108-55-1.