Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands of Sephardic Jewry in Amsterdam, the Mahamad also closely controlled the process of re-judaization - that is helping those whose families had been secretly living as Jews while being outwardly Catholic return to a full Jewish life. In this process, several individuals rejected Rabbinic Judaism or advanced ideas outside of the norms of Judaism at that time and were disciplined by the Mahamad through the process of herem, which could be anything from denial of Torah honors to an outright ban on the individual. The most famous of those to receive a full ban herem was philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose
Rabbinic cabinet Rabbinic cabinet A rabbinic cabinet or rabbinic council is a branch of a usually secular Jewish organization of some type. Rabbinic cabinets are reserved as advisory and outreach councils for rabbis and cantors who are members of such organizations. They are not to be confused with the associated rabbinical membership and policy bodies of religious and denominational organizations. Rabbinic cabinets have also been assembled by leaders of Jewish seminaries and educational institutions, such as HUC-JIR's President's Rabbinic Council or JTS's Chancellor's Rabbinic Cabinet. These are usually assembled to help guide educational and administrative policy along a theological or ethical perspective.