Short biography (richer overview)
Spinoza was born in Amsterdam to a Portuguese Jewish family that had fled persecution in Iberia. He received a Jewish education, learned Hebrew Bible and rabbinic tradition, and also studied Latin, philosophy, and the new science of his time.
In 1656, he was placed under cherem (excommunication) by Amsterdam's Portuguese Jewish community. He then lived independently, earned money by lens grinding, and wrote major philosophical works that circulated in manuscript or anonymous publication.
His central claim is often summarized as "God or Nature" (Deus sive Natura): not two separate realities, but one infinite reality understood through different perspectives. In ethics, he argued that freedom grows through understanding causes clearly, transforming reactive emotions into active, responsible life.
He died in 1677 at age 44. Soon after, friends published his Ethics, now one of the most influential works in modern philosophy.
Why he matters for this project
Siddur Spinoza uses his ideas as a lens, not as a replacement for Jewish prayer. The Hebrew text remains primary. The added layer asks how prayer can be read through clarity, responsibility, emotional maturity, and intellectual honesty.
Reliable reference articles
Start with these trusted overviews before going deep into books.
Recommended books (scholarly and reliable)
These are widely respected starting points.
Steven Nadler, Spinoza: A Life (Cambridge University Press, 1999). Best first biography for most readers.
Steven Nadler, A Book Forged in Hell: Spinoza's Scandalous Treatise and the Birth of the Secular Age (Princeton University Press, 2011).
Yitzhak Y. Melamed (ed.), The Young Spinoza: A Metaphysician in the Making (Oxford University Press, 2020).
Don Garrett (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Spinoza (Cambridge University Press, 1996).
Olli Koistinen (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Spinoza's Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2009).
Quick timeline
1632: Born in Amsterdam.
1656: Placed under cherem (excommunication) by Amsterdam's Portuguese Jewish community.
1670: Theological-Political Treatise published anonymously.
1677: Dies at age 44; Ethics published posthumously the same year.