Saturday, June 21, 2008
Defining Hashkafah--the Impossible and the Improbable
It doesn't matter where a conversation may start out, but if the people are frum it will eventually lead to hashkafah. We hear the word being used all the time and we use it ourselves. We ascribe our actions, our feelings and our beliefs to hashkafah. Everyone claims to have one. Well then, define the term for me. I know, I know, it means a religious belief system. And that is? Well, it's the system that governs our actions. So far "hashkafah" sounds like something that is quite easy to pinpoint--it's why we do what we do religiously. So, where do you acquire a hashkafah from? "Why, from our parents" I hear coming. Only from your parents? "Well, it can include our schools too." So you follow a school's hashkafah? Well, not just the school's hashkafah, but my rebbi's hashkafah." "Oh, and we also follow our shul rav." "Naw, not only the shul rav's hashkafah. We follow the hashkafah of the gedolim." So all gedolim agree? "Well, not exactly but mostly, sort of, sometimes, maybe." So what do different gedolim disagree about when it comes to hashkafah?" Well, first you'd have to define what you mean by a godol. I mean, not everyone who someone says is a godol is really a godol." Grrrrrrr. "Besides, different people have different hashkafos." Do tell!
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6 comments:
Literally, I define "hashkafa" as "outlook," one's overall perspective on life. Of course, that leaves the same can of worms open, but at least gives it some meaning...
Hashkafah--all things to all people. Want ot know how many different hashkafot there are? Count every Jew in the world and that gives you your first number. Then wait a week or two and count again. At least half of everyone you counted first will have added, subtracted or changed something that was part of their hashkafah on the first count. Hashkafah is a work in progress and no one paints that work that exact same way. It's why arguing hashkafah is so frustrating--we're not arguing about the same thing at all.
It's why I get so frustrated when someone asks me what my hashkafa is. About what in particular? It's part of what makes shidduchim so hard. The shadchan tries to tell me that someone has an MO hashkafa and I have no idea what that really means. Same thing for yeshivish. But if you have to cover every point on which someone has a hashkafa then you'd need to write an encyclopedia. My mom says it was a lot easier when all you needed to answer was frum when someone asked about hashkafa. Even worse when the question is whose hashkafa do you follow. I finally just tell them that I follow my father's hashkafa and if they want to know what that is they should ask him.
Hashkafah-
What you think is right as related to things which fall outside explicitly Torah mandated halachah.
Except that your hashkafa can tell you who to pasken like...
That's why i said "Torah mandated".
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