The Spinoza Problem

by Irvin D. Yalom

“You shrug that off lightly. Do you have any idea of the stakes involved? If I had lost that debate, if it were decreed that all Jews have an equal status in the world to come and that virtue would be unrewarded and transgression would have no penalty, can you not foresee the repercussions upon the community? If they are insured a place in the world to come, then what is the incentive to convert back to Judaism? If there is no penalty for wrongdoing, can you imagine how the Dutch Calvinists would regard us? How long would our freedom last? Do you think I was playing a child’s game? Think of the implications.” “Yes, that great debate—your words have just demonstrated that it was not a debate about spiritual truth. No doubt that is why the Venetian rabbinate was confounded. Both of you argued for different versions of the afterlife for reasons that have nothing to do with the reality of the afterlife. You attempt to control the populace through the power of fear and hope—the traditional cudgels of religious leaders throughout history. You, the rabbinical authorities everywhere, claim to hold the keys to the afterlife, and you use those keys for political control. Rabbi Aboab, on the other hand, took his stand to minister to the anguish of his congregation who wanted to offer help for their converso families. This was not a spiritual disagreement. It was a political debate masquerading as a religious debate. Neither of you offered any proof for the existence of the world to c...