Gaon (gā'ōn) ( he, גאון, , plural ''geonim'' — gĕ'ōnīm) may have originated as a shortened version of "Rosh Yeshivat Ge'on Ya'akov", although there are alternative explanations.
In
Ancient Hebrew Ancient Hebrew (ISO 639-3 code ) is a blanket term for pre-modern varieties of the Hebrew language:
* Paleo-Hebrew (such as the Siloam inscription), a variant of the Phoenician alphabet
* Biblical Hebrew (including the use of Tiberian vocalization ...
, it referred to arrogance and haughty pride ( – "I abhor the pride of
Jacob
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam ...
and detest his fortresses; I will deliver up the city and everything in it.") and later became known as a general term for pride, both the positive and negative forms ('Pride
f; Late Medieval and
Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...
for 'genius'). Today, it may refer to:
One of the
Geonim
''Geonim'' ( he, גאונים; ; also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura Academy , Sura and Pumbedita Academy ...
during the period 589–1040. Prominent Geonim include:
*
Yehudai Gaon (Gaon 757–761)
*
Sar Shalom
SAR or Sar may refer to:
Places
* Sar (river), Galicia, Spain
* Sar, Bahrain, a residential district
* Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran
* Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China
* Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe
* ...
Ben Boaz (Gaon 838–848)
*
Natronai ben Hilai, Gaon of Sura (Gaon to 857)
*
Amram Gaon
Amram Gaon ( he, עמרם גאון, or Amram bar Sheshna, Hebrew: עמרם בר רב ששנא, or sometimes: Amram ben Sheshna or Amram b. Sheshna; died 875) was a ''gaon'', head of the Jewish Talmud Academy of Sura during the 9th century.
...
, Gaon of Sura (Gaon 857–875)
*
Saadia Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; ...
(882/892 – 942)
*
Zemah ben Hayyim (Gaon 889–895)
*
Sherira Gaon (906–1006)
*
Samuel ben Hofni (died 1034)
*
Hai Gaon (939–1038)
An honorific title given to a few leading rabbis of other countries in the same period, such as:
*
Achai Gaon (?-753-?)
*
Nissim Gaon (990–1062)
Specific
rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
s of later periods, called "gaon":
* The
Vilna Gaon (1720–1797)
* The
Rogatchover Gaon (1858–1936)
* The
Steipler Gaon (1899–1985)
Many great rabbis,
[
"ידיד נפשי המנוח הדגול, שייף עייל שייף נפיק, הגאון הגדול רבי יוסף קאפח זצ"ל." — Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in the Hebrew responsa book שו"ת הריב"ד קאפח, quoted in עלון אור ההליכו�]
גליון חודש תמוז התשס"ט
(page 3). although not formally referred to as the "Gaon of ..." are often lauded with this
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
as both a mark of respect and a means to indicate their greatness in the field of Torah learning, for example, one may refer to Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef as "HaGaon Rabbi Ovadia Yosef".
See also
*
Genius (disambiguation)
References
Hebrew language
Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles
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