February 21

Expelled from the Jewish community of Amsterdam for his unorthodox views, Spinoza pursued independent scholarship. His magnum opus, Ethics, presented a vision of a single substance he equated with God or Nature. Spinoza championed rationalism, arguing that reason could uncover the laws of the universe. His critique of religious superstition and advocacy of freedom of thought influenced Enlightenment thinkers. Spinoza's ideas on democracy and tolerance continue to resonate in modern philosophy.

Gershom Scholem was born in Berlin and emigrated to Palestine in 1923, where he became the first professor of Jewish mysticism at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He devoted his career to uncovering and interpreting the esoteric traditions of Kabbalah, publishing seminal works such as 'Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism' that remain foundational texts today. Scholem's scholarship bridged historical research and philosophical insight, reshaping modern understanding of Jewish spiritual heritage. He engaged with contemporaries like Martin Buber on religious and cultural topics and influenced generations of scholars. His rigorous methodology and profound analyses earned international recognition before his death in 1982.