The image of the non-Jew in the responsa of David Zvi Hoffmann

Abstract

This article has a double focus. First, it sheds new light on David Zvi Hoffmann (1843–1931), an important rabbinic scholar, born in the Austrian Empire but who eventually moved westwards to become, at the turn of the century, the rector of the Orthodox Rabbinical Seminary in Berlin and an important halakhic decisor. Taking up the topic of interfaith encounters in nineteenth-century Germany, I demonstrate that Hoffmann held a nuanced and unique perception of Christian–Jewish encounters. The article also offers methodological insights on the analytical tools used in historical and philosophical research into Jewish law. More than half a century ago, Haym Soloveitchik proposed an evidentiary criterion, which he called ‘measurable deflection’, for gauging when medieval social historians may infer historical realia from halakhic sources. This article contends, however, that the usefulness of measurable deflection is limited. It suggests replacing it with alternative benchmarks, called ‘proximity indicators’, and uses them to provide a novel understanding of Hoffmann’s position towards non-Jews. As a conclusion, the article advances that Hoffmann exemplifies the tension of living as a religious Jew in nineteenth-century Germany.