It is not magic, it is smith: Comparison in a study of Jewish theology

Abstract

In a search for a theoretical framework that would structure and orient a comparative analysis of diverse Jewish theological responses to the Holocaust, the author reached for J.Z. Smith’s discussions of comparative enterprise. The questions of similarity, difference and of the putative goal of comparison loomed large over her project. In J.Z. Smith’s work, the author found helpful clues, illuminating insights as well as somewhat confusing and counterintuitive examples.