Summary

In 1665, Ester writes to Spinoza in reference to his text, Principia Philosophiae Cartesianae: “I feel in those pages the weight of much you do not say. Your sentences hold back thoughts as a stone wall might hold back a hillside – only for a time” (311). Ester writes that God is “equally present in each member of creation. Therefore God does not enter into any contest between peoples” (311). In a letter to Daniel Lusitano, the rabbi refers to “the shame and divisions” that result from “the raising and dashing of hope” on the “spirit” of the Jewish community (312). The rabbi fears for Lusitano’s safety “in this mysterious upheaving world” and tells him: “I will not rest until I hear word that you are well” (312).

Ester writes again to Spinoza: “you remain silent, as though my request for conversation hid thorns. Yet you know well … that...