PURELY COMMENTARY
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Spinoza
Kosins
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FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1990
their belief in a conception
of God different from
mine."
These views are inerasable
from the record of Ben-
Gurion's attitudes which will
retain an interest for future
generations. The founding
prime minister of the Jewish
state, a staunch labor leader,
was always viewed as an
atheist, as an unbeliever. In
his later years he emerged
with a firm belief, with a
theological philosophy. It had
been spoken of as Einsteinian
and Spinozist. Perhaps it is
simply: Ben-Gurionian.
Spinoza's life story fully an-
notated, is related, in part, as
follows from The En-
cyclopedia of Judaism edited
by Geoffrey Wigoder:
Baruch
Spinoza,
(Benedict), Philosopher
(1632-1677). He was born in
Amsterdam to a Marrano
family from Portugal, who
had fled to Holland and
returned to Judaism. As a
child, he received a formal
Jewish education in the
Ets Hayyim Talmud Torah.
Upon completion of his
studies, he began to delve
deeply into the works of
the medieval Jewish
philosophers, such as Ger-
sonides and Maimonides,
both of whom profoundly
influenced his views and
philosophic system.
From the age of 22,
Spinoza began to draw
closer to the Christian
circles in his city, and to ex-
press an interest in the
general sciences. His
"atheistical" and heretical
views aroused concern
both in the Jewish com-
munity and in Amster-
dam's Calvinistic circles,
leading to his excom-
munication by the Amster-
dam Jewish community in
1656. Following this, he left
Amsterdam and spent
most of the rest of his life in
the Hague, earning his
livelihood by polishing
lenses for reading glasses.
Spinoza's philosophic
thought is complex and dif-
ficult, combining meta-
physics, ethics, psychology,
anthropology, political
thought, and the philos-
ophy of religion. The
religious base is one of its
major hubs, as Spinoza of-
fers man an alternative to
the established religions.
Spinoza also identified,
clearly and profoundly, the
new political reality in
Europe, and discussed its
significance for the fate of
the Jewish people. As a
result, he was critical of
the Jewish heritage, both
from a philosophical and a
modernizing viewpoint.
His major conclusion was
that the laws of the halak-
kah were not in keeping
with the new culture,
which meant that a change
in the status of religion in
the life of the individual
and the state was required.
Because of his views, he
was considered a heretic
even after his death, and
his teachings were pro-
scribed by both Christians
and Jews. Only at the end
of the 18th century did
philosophers begin to
study his views, and since
then his writings have
become an inseparable
part of modern
philosophy. ❑
NEWS Imm"m'm
Shamir Govt.
Is Unlikely
This Week
Jerusalem (JPFS) — In
stark contrast to earlier op-
timism that Prime Minister
Yitzhak Shamir could put a
coalition together in the
next few days, Likud sources
now doubt that he will be
able to present his govern-
ment to the Knesset this
week.
Last week, Shamir offi-
cially asked President Her-
zog for an extension of his
mandate, the first 21 days
having passed without his
being able to form a
government. The 21-day ex-
tension was granted.
The difficulties raised by
the small right-wing parties
have so far failed to produce
any visible panic in the
prime minister's entourage,
and political observers are
mystified by the remarkably
leisurely pace of the negotia-
tions.
Shamir is "deliberately
dragging things out,"
sources in the right-wing
parties charged Saturday.
"He could have had a
government days ago."
Shamir is still yearning for
"the internatinal respec-
tability and legitimacy of
heading a broad national
unity coalition," some
sources hinted.
Shamir hotly denied this
in a meeting with Moledet.
He could not possibly be
seeking a national unity
alternative "as that does not
exist now," Shamir said, ad-
ding, "The option is just not
in the cards." He also warn-
ed Moledet that if each
would-be coalition partner
stood "on every last iota of
its ideology, it would be im-
possible to form a govern-
ment."