Yeshayahou Leibowitz

Yeshayahou Leibowitz , born with Rīga in 1903 and died in 1994 is a chemist, philosopher and Israeli writer , considered as one of the most outstanding Intellectuel S of the Israeli company, and one of its personalities the most discussed for its opinions sliced on the Morale, the ethical , the Politique, and the Religion. The type-setter and leader Rene Leibowitz was his cousin.

Biography

Older brother of Nehama Leibowitz, it is born with Rīga in Latvia in 1903 and receives a Jewish education of his parents. Its scientific course begins in 1919 with Berlin where it begins there studies of chemistry and philosophy, it obtains its doctorate in 1924 there. Continuing studies of biochemistry and medicine with Basle, it obtains a doctorate in 1934 there.

He emigrates in Palestine in 1934 (which was then under British mandate), where he becomes professor of Organic chemistry with the Hebraic Université of Jerusalem. Appointed professor of biochemistry in 1941, it was promoted in 1952 senior of the pulpit of organic chemistry and neurology. It also teaches there the Biologie and the Neuropsychologie until its retirement in 1973. It ensures also a course of Jewish studies the University of Haïfa. It continues them without slackening, except the interruption due to the war of independence of 1948, during which it is useful as an officer of the Haganah.

After its retirement, it continues to teach the Philosophie at the Hebraic university.

It gives during all these years of the International Conferences, writes books in Hebrew and English, and supervises the drafting of the Encyclopedia Hebraïca of 1956 to 1972.

Its nomination with the Prix Israel in 1992 raised a polemic, two years before its death in Jerusalem: the chief of the government Yitzhak Rabin went as far as stating to refuse to take part in the ceremony of handing-over of the price.

Philosophy and standpoint

Yeshayahou Leibowitz, with its anticonformist positions, its outspokenness on the Judaism, and especially on the armed and the policy with Israel, had been made many enmities in the religious circles and not-monk.

These are especially the political positions which made it unpopular: it was indeed burning criticizes political Israeli, so much in the system of government (coalitions of parties,…) that in the occupation of Arab territories, asserting that " the occupation destroys the morality of the conquérant". Besides it supported the conscientious objectors refusing to be useful in the territories.

Its remarks, shortly after the invasion of Lebanon in 1982, on the fact that certain actions of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon showed the existence of a mentality “judéo-Nazi”, caused a storm of reactions. Against the general opinion which claims that this kind of rhetoric concerns the antisionism, Leibowitz did not cease reaffirming until the end of its life, in its writings and in its talks, its faith in the legitimacy of the Zionism.

Moreover, he showed the political community of Corruption, and militated against the proliferation of the nuclear arsenal.

Leibowitz was also an outstanding figure in the field of the Jewish thought. Its vision of the Judaism, very marked by Maïmonide of which he was a large admiror, expresses not only one great attachment with the practice of Mitzvots (practical commands required by the Torah), but also a powerful engagement towards the service of God " désintéressé" , opposed to a blind and simple faith, rather inclined to await a benefit of God (reward, gratitude, avoidance of the punishment,…) who does not certainly constitute, according to Leibowitz, the ideal model of the Jewish faith.

For him, the religious Cabal and movements which subject the application of Mitzvah to the emotive attachment are, fallacious and are connected with the idolatry.

Whereas Léo Strauss perceived a dichotomy at Maïmonide between a philosophy for the elite (expressed in the Guide of stray the ) and a philosophy for the mass (obliged to be still subjected to the rites), Leibowitz refutes this vision categorically. It preserves the concept of dichotomy, but moves it considerably. The faith for the elite is that capable of a not involved practice of Mitzvots. Faith for the people, on the other hand, not being able to do without from a certain superstition, even waiting exaggerated towards a divine intervention in the daily life.

This analysis of Maïmonide is moreover more fundamentally coherent with the personal attitude of Leibowitz: Jew very orthodoxe, extrêmemement fastidious on the practice of the commands.

Writings

During the first years of its Leibowitz creation was one of the writers of the Hebraic Encyclopedia. Independently of its innumerable articles and tests, Leibowitz wrote a pleiad of books on philosophy, the human values, the Jewish thought, the lesson of Maimonide, and the policy. Several of its conferences and speeches, including those which it gave like contribution to the project “Radiophonic University” of the service of radio of the Israeli army, were later compiled and published in the form of book. Leibowitz was a prolific épistolier and its opinions, its comments were largely appreciated. A first collection of its letters, in Hebrew, was published on a purely posthumous basis by “Keter” in 1999.

A good part of its work was translated into French by the writer and psychoanalyst Gerard Haddad and by Daviv Banon, doctor of philosophy and director of the Department of Hebraic and Jewish studies at the University Marc Bloch of Strasbourg.

Called in Israel “the prophet of anger”, Yeshayahou Leibowitz died in Jerusalem in 1994.

Works

Judaism, Jewish people and State of Israel
faith of Maimonide
Five books on the faith
Israel and Judaisme
People, ground, State
Short biblical lessons
Science and values
Discussion around the “Way of Right” of Ramh' Al
bases of the Judaism: Talks on Pirké Avot (Aphorisms of the Fathers) and on Maïmonide

See too

Sources

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