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Jewish philosophy may be described as the explication of Jewish beliefs and practices by means of general philosophical concepts and moral norms. It must thus be seen in a twofold manner: as an outgrowth of the Biblical-rabbinic tradition on which Judaism rests and as a part of the history of philosophy at large. Whereas the Biblical and rabbinic writings developed within the Jewish community, Jewish philosophy flourished whenever Jewish thinkers participated in the philosophical speculations of an outside culture. And though significant differences, both religious and philosophical, distinguish ancient and medieval from much of modern Jewish thought, the subject matter of Jewish philosophy may generally be divided into three parts. As interpretation of Jewish tradition, Jewish philosophy concentrates on topics such as the election of Israel, the prophecy of Moses, the Law (Torah) and its eternity, and Jewish conceptions of the Messiah and the afterlife. As religious philosophy, it investigates those philosophical notions common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, such as the existence of God, the divine attributes, creation, prophecy, the human soul, and the principles of human conduct. Finally, as philosophy, it studies notions that are primarily of philosophical interest, such as the structure of logical arguments, the constitution of the world, and the divisions of being.

Jewish philosophy may be described as the explication of Jewish beliefs and practices by means of general philosophical concepts and moral norms. It must thus be seen in a twofold manner: as an outgrowth of the Biblical-rabbinic tradition on which Judaism rests and as a part of the history of philosophy at large. Whereas the Biblical and rabbinic writings developed within the Jewish community, Jewish philosophy flourished whenever Jewish thinkers participated in the philosophical speculations of an outside culture. And though significant differences, both religious and philosophical, distinguish ancient and medieval from much of modern Jewish thought, the subject matter of Jewish philosophy may generally be divided into three parts. As interpretation of Jewish tradition, Jewish philosophy concentrates on topics such as the election of Israel, the prophecy of Moses, the Law (Torah) and its eternity, and Jewish conceptions of the Messiah and the afterlife. As religious philosophy, it investigates those philosophical notions common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, such as the existence of God, the divine attributes, creation, prophecy, the human soul, and the principles of human conduct. Finally, as philosophy, it studies notions that are primarily of philosophical interest, such as the structure of logical arguments, the constitution of the world, and the divisions of being.