Born: 3 September 1905, Latvia
Died: 12 April 1997
Country most active: Israel
Also known as: נחמה ליבוביץ׳
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Nechama Leibowitz (נחמה ליבוביץ׳) was born in 1905 in Riga, two years after her older brother, the philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz. The family relocated to Berlin in 1919. In 1930, she earned her doctorate from the University of Marburg with her thesis on “Techniques in the Translations of German-Jewish Biblical Translations.” That same year, in 1930, she immigrated to Mandate Palestine.
For the next twenty-five years, she taught at a religious Zionist teachers’ seminar. In 1957, she commenced lecturing at Tel Aviv University, eventually becoming a full professor eleven years later. She also conducted classes at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and various other educational institutions across the country. Additionally, she regularly provided commentary on Torah readings for the Voice of Israel radio station.
In 1942, Nechama Leibowitz initiated a practice of distributing weekly Torah reading questions to those who requested them. These worksheets, known as “gilyonot” or pages, were sent back to her, and she personally reviewed and returned them with corrections and comments. They gained immense popularity and were sought after by people from all walks of Israeli society. In 1954, she began publishing her “Studies,” which incorporated many questions from her study sheets, along with selected traditional commentaries and her own insights. Over time, these studies were compiled into five books, one for each book of the Torah.
Known for her modesty and wry wit, Nechama Leibowitz always preferred the title of “teacher” over the more prestigious “professor.” As per her request, her tombstone bears only the word “מורה” (morah, “teacher”) in addition to her name and dates.