Bezalel Ze'ev Șafran (; 1867 – December 1929), also known as HaGaon mi-Bacău (, "the Gaon of Bacău"), was a Romanian rabbi and halakhic authority. He was regarded as one of the leading halakhic authorities in Romania, and rabbis from throughout the country submitted questions of Jewish law to him. Originally from Galicia, he settled in Romania in 1887 and served successively as rabbi of Sculeni, Ștefănești, and Bacău.
Life and rabbinical career Șafran was born in Galicia. He studied under his grandfather, Hanoch Henikh Safran, and under the rabbis Isaac Aaron Ittinga of Lemberg and Jacob Wiedenfeld of Grimailov.
He began his rabbinical career in Romania in 1887, serving first as rabbi of Sculeni. He subsequently became rabbi of Ștefănești and, in 1905, was appointed rabbi of Bacău and the surrounding district, a position he retained until his death. Bacău subsequently became the city with which he was most closely associated.
Șafran developed a reputation extending beyond his own congregation as an authority on Jewish law. The Encyclopaedia Judaica describes him as the most important halakhic authority in Romania of his period and states that questions were addressed to him by rabbis throughout the country. The German rabbi and scholar Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg described Șafran as one of the most erudite rabbinical scholars of his generation and as possessing an exceptionally extensive knowledge of rabbinic literature.
Halakhic writings His responsa on Jewish religious law were collected in Shu"t ha-Rabaz (), a multi-volume collection of his halakhic rulings. His rulings addressed both traditional questions of Jewish law and problems arising from technological and social changes in the early 20th century. Among the subjects he considered were mixed dancing at Jewish weddings and the permissibility of food being heated on Shabbat in an electric oven activated by a timer.
His responsa were also distinguished by his extensive use of the Jerusalem Talmud. The Encyclopaedia Judaica notes that this was unusual among contemporary authors of responsa, who generally made considerably less use of the Jerusalem Talmud as a source for halakhic rulings.
Șafran was the father and teacher of Alexandru Șafran, who assisted him in his rabbinical work and later succeeded him as rabbi of Bacău. Alexandru subsequently became Chief Rabbi of Romania.
Șafran was buried in the New Jewish Cemetery in Bacău, where his grave is contained within an ohel.
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