Rabbi’s online class: Inspiring Humanistic Stories
Zoom event – link was sent to members
Join us for a weekly class as Rabbi Tzemah Yoreh explores inspiring Jewish Humanistic Stories. In this class we will take a closer look at some of the most inspiring stories of humanism from Jewish literature and Jewish life and offer insights for today.
This Week: Baruch Spinoza
A rabbinic prodigy of 17th century Amsterdam, Benedict Spinoza was the reason some sages warned against reading the biblical text too closely. Beyond his seminal philosophical works, he is best known for being the father of biblical criticism, and his claim that Moses could not have written the Torah still stands the test of time. He was excommunicated from the Jewish community, but would not become Christian, despite the urging of other intellectuals. He died destitute and penniless before his time. Yet his commitment to freethinking and finding joy in whatever life throws at us continues to inspire us to this day.