Rabbi Marc D. Angel is Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, www.jewishideas.org. Rabbi Emeritus of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, he is author and editor of 29 books, many dealing with aspects of Sephardic history and culture. Among his recent books are “Foundations of Sephardic Spirituality: The Inner Life of Jews of the Ottoman Empire;” (Jewish Lights, 2006); and “Maimonides, Spinoza and Us: Toward an Intellectually Vibrant Judaism,” (Jewish Lights, 2009), both of which won awards from the National Jewish Book Council. His most recent book is a collection of thoughts on the Torah portions of the week, “Angel for Shabbat,” (Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, 2010). This article originally appeared in Sephardic Horizons (sephardichorizons.org), volume 1, issue 3, spring 2011.
In the early 1970s, shortly after I had begun my rabbinical service to Congregation Shearith Israel, the historic Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York City, I attended a shiur, a lecture, at Yeshiva University given by the recently elected Rishon leZion, Rabbi Ovadya Yosef. As a young Sephardic rabbi, I was eager to hear the words of this prominent and erudite Sephardic rabbinic leader. The message of that shiur made a great impression on me and has remained with me to this day.
