Hashkafa

Hashkafa (Hebrew: השקפה‎‎; lit. "outlook") is the Hebrew term for worldview and guiding philosophy, used almost exclusively within Orthodox Jewish communities. It is a perspective that Orthodox Jews adopt that defines many aspects of their lives. Although Orthodox communities pride themselves on clinging to the mesorah (or Jewish tradition) more so than other Jewish denominations, they acknowledge that society has changed since the Revelation at Mount Sinai. Therefore, Hashkafa is necessary to contextualize religious observance.

Hashkafa works in conjunction with halakha—the codified list of laws and commandments derived from the Torah and the oral tradition—to direct and enrich the day-to-day life of observant Orthodox Jews. When a hashkafa is inconsistent with halakha, it is inherently illegitimate. While halakha is a rigid legal system that generally doesn’t afford much variation in practice, hashkafa provides a more flexible framework and is often the source of major disagreement between different Orthodox groups. For example, Orthodox halakhic authorities—or Rabbis—prohibit listening to music with profane lyrics. However, there is disagreement about listening to "kosher" non-Jewish music, which is part of the broader hashkafic (i.e. relating to hashkafa) discussion about cultural integration. Modern Orthodox Jews will generally listen to such music, while Hasidic Jews will distance themselves from it.

Hashkafa plays a crucial role in how Orthodox Jews interact with the world around them and influences individual beliefs about secularity, gender roles, and modernity. It also guides many practical decisions: where to send children to school, what synagogue to attend, and what community to live in.

Although the word hashkafa is not explicitly mentioned in the Torah, the idea of broad guiding philosophies certainly stems from it. The Torah lays the foundations for such a construct in Deuteronomy 6:18 (דברים ו:יח), where it says: "And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the Lord." Similarly, the Tanakh (or Hebrew Bible) mentions the phrase "walking in His Ways", in reference to God, eight times. These verses make no mention of any specific commandments like observing the Sabbath or celebrating Passover; rather, they command the more fundamental principles—or hashkafas—of doing what is right and emulating God's ways.

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