Born at Amsterdam, 24 Nov., 1632; died at The Hague, 21 Feb.,
1677. He belonged to a family of Jewish merchants of moderate
means, and was originally called Baruch, a name that he later
translated into its Latin equivalent Benedict. His father's name
was Michael, his mother, Michael's second wife, was called Hana
Debora. In 1641 Michael married a third wife who was named
Hester de Espinosa. The family probably had some connexion with
the little town of Espino in Spanish Galicia, and with the
celebrated Marrano family there called Espinosa. (The Marranos
were Spanish Jews compelled to conform outwardly to
Christianity.) Baruch attracted attention in the school for
Portuguese Jews at Amsterdam by his talents and application to
study. He made rapid progress in Hebrew and the study of the
Talmud, and his teachers, especially Rabbi Saul Levi Morteira,
had the greatest hopes of his future. It was intended that he
should become a rabbi. The subtle methods of the teachers of the
Talmud undoubtedly trained his intelle