Editing Baruch Spinoza (section)

===Expulsion from the Jewish community===
[[File:Hirszenberg, Spinoza wyklêty (Excommunicated Spinoza), 1907.jpg|thumb|''Excommunicated Spinoza'' by [[Samuel Hirszenberg]] (1907), the second of his two modern paintings imagining scenes of Spinoza's life.]]

Amsterdam was tolerant of religious diversity so long as it was practiced discreetly. The community was concerned with protecting its reputation and not associating with Spinoza lest his controversial views provide the basis for possible persecution or expulsion.{{sfn|Nadler|2001|pp=17–22}} Spinoza did not openly break with Jewish authorities until his father died in 1654 when he became public and defiant, resulting from lengthy and stressful religious, financial, and legal clashes involving his business and synagogue, such as when Spinoza violated synagogue regulations by going to city authorities rather than resolving his disputes within the community to free himself from paying his father's debt.{{sfn|Nadler|2001|p=25}}

On 27 July 1656, the Talmud Torah community leaders, which included [[Isaac Aboab da Fonseca|Aboab de Fonseca]],{{sfn|Israel|2023|p=74}} issued a writ of ''[[Herem (censure)|herem]]'' against the 23-year-old Spinoza.{{sfn|Scruton|2002|p=21}}{{sfn|Touber|2018|p=45}} Spinoza's censure was the harshest ever pronounced in the community, carrying tremendous emotional and spiritual impact.{{sfn|Nadler|2001|pp=2-7}} The exact reason for expelling Spinoza is not stated, only referring to his "abominable heresies", "monstrous deeds", and the testimony of witnesses "in the presence of the said Espinoza".{{sfn|Smith|2003|p=xx}} Even though the Amsterdam municipal authorities were not directly involved in Spinoza's censure, the town council expressly ordered the Portuguese-Jewish community to regulate their conduct and ensure that the community kept strict observance of Jewish law.{{sfn|Nadler|2001|p=19}} Other evidence indicates a concern about upsetting civil authorities, such as the synagogue's bans on public weddings, funeral processions, and discussing religious matters with Christians, lest such activity might "disturb the liberty we enjoy".{{sfn|Nadler|2001|p=20}}

[[File:Ban of Baruch Spinoza, Amsterdam, 27 July 1656, 6 Av 5416.jpg|thumb|Text of Spinoza's expulsion on 6 Av 5416 (27 July 1656)]]
Before the expulsion, Spinoza had not published anything or written a treatise; [[Steven Nadler]] states that if Spinoza was voicing his criticism of Judaism that later appeared through his philosophical works, such as Part I of [[Ethics (Spinoza book)|''Ethics'']], then there can be no wonder that he was severely punished.{{sfn|Nadler|2001|p=16}}{{sfn|Nadler|2018|p=160}} Unlike most censures issued by the Amsterdam congregation, it was never rescinded since the censure did not lead to repentance. After the censure, Spinoza may have written an [[Apologia]] in Spanish defending his views, but it is now lost.{{sfn|Scruton|2002|p=22}} Spinoza's expulsion did not lead him to convert to Christianity or belong to a confessional religion or sect.{{sfn|Nadler|2018|p=338}} From 1656 to 1661, Spinoza found lodgings elsewhere in Amsterdam and Leiden, supporting himself with teaching while learning lens grinding and constructing microscopes and telescopes.{{sfn|Israel|2023|p=243}} Spinoza did not maintain a sense of Jewish identity; he argued that without adherence to Jewish law, the Jewish people lacked a sustaining source of difference and identity, rendering the notion of a secular Jew incoherent.{{sfn|Nadler|2011|p=167}}