The genesis of and internal tensions in the halakhic philosophy of Yeshayahu Leibowitz

The main focus of scholarship on Yeshayahu Leibowitz's philosophy and social criticism has been on his books and articles that were composed after his immigration to Palestine in 1935 at the age of 32. Little attention has been paid to Leibowitz's first efforts in forging his philosophical outlook that preceded his move to Palestine. This initial literary activity was produced in German between 1929 and 1932 when Leibowitz resided in Germany and was active in Zionist affairs. In this article, I will focus on Leibowitz's German essays as well as his early Hebrew essays published until the early 1950s. Unlike other scholars, I will argue for a sharper division between his German essays in the 1930s and his subsequent Hebrew articles until the early 1950s. Put differently, I will propose that the period which is usually considered as constituting Leibowitz's early philosophy should be divided into an early and middle period. These changes between his early and middle period foreshadow the even deeper shifts in his thought that began in the 1950s, which allows the middle period to be regarded as a transition phase between his earlier and later views.