Why did Martin Buber criticize many legal prescriptions in the Talmud?

Martin Buber’s criticism of many legal prescriptions in the Talmud stemmed from his philosophy of the "I–Thou" relationship, which emphasized a direct, mutual, and responsive encounter between a person and God.

Buber viewed the Bible as originating from such authentic encounters. However, he believed that subsequent traditions often distorted this experience to serve ideological aims. He categorized many of the Talmud’s legalistic rules as part of a "spurious tradition" that was removed from the living, dialogical relationship with God. Because Buber advocated for a "religious anarchism"—a rejection of fixed rules of behavior in the relationship between humanity and the divine—he viewed juridical attempts to turn God into a legislator of fixed rules as a form of "I–It" relationship, which he believed should be avoided in one's connection to the divine. Consequently, he emphasized a nonlegalistic, prophetic type of religion over the normative, legalistic framework of traditional Judaism.12