Hebrew scholar, thinker, and poet. Born in Trieste, Italy, he devoted his entire life to the study of philology, literature, philosophy, and history. Great Jewish scholars, such as Zunz, Geiger, and Graetz, drew on his vast knowledge.

Luzzato was also a religious thinker and a notable poet. Living at a time when assimilation threatened traditional Jewish life, Luzzato stressed the superiority of Judaism. In a number of articles and poems he expressed his hope for the restoration of Zion and his love for the Hebrew language. As a teacher of Bible, history, and religious philosophy at the Rabbinical College at Padua, Italy, he carried on a voluminous correspondence with Jewish scholars around the world. Published after his death, his letters fill nine volumes and served as a great reservoir of knowledge in all fields of Jewish literature from biblical to modern times.