Accepting the Yoke of Heaven: Commentary on the Weekly Torah Portion

Accepting the Yoke of Heaven is a compelling collection of thoughts on the weekly Torah portion by the acclaimed Jewish philosopher, Yeshayahu Leibowitz. As he leads us from Creation to the death of Moses, Professor Leibowitz takes us on a dramatic journey of philosophical discovery. Revealing his rational views on the nature of God and his relationship with Man, Leibowitz challenges our conceptions of the purpose of prayer and the presence of holiness in the world. He demands compliance with Jewish law for its own sake, irrespective of expectations of reward or punishment. Written with unflinching honesty and conviction, Accepting the Yoke of Heaven is a work of startling erudition.

Shmuel Himelstein, Jewish Day School, NYC, teacher, 1964-68, assistant principal, 1968-70; Jewish Day School, Los Angeles, CA, principal, 1970-73; Jewish Day School, Winnipeg, Canada, principal, 1973-75. Currently working as a translator, writer, and editor in Israel.

Professor Yeshayahu Leibowitz, an acclaimed scientist and Judaica scholar, is renowned for his widely respected-and debated-approach to Jewish tradition and philosophy. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia Hebraica and was head professor of the science department at the Hebrew University. Born in Riga in 1904, and educated in Germany and Switzerland, he immigrated to Israel in 1935 and passed away in Jerusalem in 1994.