Jewish Philosophy

Building a Life

What Judaism says about finding your purpose.

Moses Mendelssohn

Herald of the Jewish Enlightenment.

Leo Baeck

Theologian who emphasized the ethical center of Judaism.

Emmanuel Levinas

A 20th-century philosopher whose Jewish sensibility influenced his encounter with Western thought and ethics.

Rabbi Louis Jacobs

Scholar and leader known for his prolific writing and intellectual integrity.

Rationalism

Can faith and reason coexist in Jewish thought?

Martin Buber

The creation of a Jewish existentialism--and a Jewish state.

Hasdai Crescas

14th-century Spanish philosopher who defended Judaism against Christianity.

Judah (Yehuda) Halevi

A Spanish poet, philosopher and proto-Zionist.

The Influence of Non-Jewish Thinking on Jewish Thought

Jewish thinkers have both embraced and directly reacted to foreign ideas and philosophies.