Nechama Leibowitz (1905 - April 1997) was a noted
Israeli Bible scholar and commentator who rekindled interest in Bible study.
Nechama Leibowitz was born to an Orthodox Jewish family
in Riga two
years after her elder brother, the philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz. The family
moved to Berlin
in 1919. In 1930, Leibowitz received a doctorate from the University of Marburg
for her thesis, Techniques in the Translations of German-Jewish Biblical
Translations. That same year 1930, she immigrated to Mandate Palestine.
She
taught at a religious Zionist teachers' seminar for the next twenty-five years.
In 1957 she began lecturing at Tel
Aviv University,
and became a full professor eleven years later. She also gave classes at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and other educational institutions around the
country. In addition to her writings, Leibowitz commented on the Torah readings
regularly for the Voice of Israel radio station.
When asked to describe her methods she replied, "I
have no derech... I only teach what the commentaries say. Nothing is my own.” 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. Of course, Ms Leibowitz always wore a beret.
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