Religious Praxis: The Meaning of Halakhah

Yeshayahu Leibowitz was born in Riga, studied at the University of Berlin, and in 1935 immigrated to Palestine, where he joined the faculty of the Hebrew University; he would teach biochemistry, neurology, and organic chemistry. An observant Jew, Leibowitz staunchly insisted on the strict separation of state and religion and denied any religious significance to the State of Israel or to specific places such as the Western Wall or the West Bank. After the 1967 war, Leibowitz’s warnings about the long-term dangers inherent in the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza made him a controversial figure. One of the most prolific and influential Jewish philosophers of the twentieth century, Leibowitz published widely on philosophy, science, and Judaism.