Q&A: Deist?
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This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Deist?
Question
Hello Rabbi Michi,
Was Yeshayahu Leibowitz, in your opinion, a deist, or was he a theist?
2. Is the bedtime Shema obligatory, and if so, which parts of the text are obligatory?
Answer
1. A theist. He was committed to the commandments, wasn’t he?
2. In Berakhot 60b it is explained that the obligation is from “Hear O Israel” through “And it shall come to pass, if you surely listen,” and the blessing “Who brings sleep.” Beyond that, these are customs, some of which are mentioned in the Talmud (Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, Shevuot 15b).