Sura Academy (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: ישיבת סורא) was a Jewish

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

located in

Sura A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c ...

. With Pumbedita Academy, it was one of the two major Jewish academies from the year 225 CE at the beginning of the era of the Amora sages until 1033 CE at the end of the era of the Gaonim. Sura Yeshiva Academy was founded by the Amora

Abba Arika Abba Arikha (175–247 CE; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ; born: ''Rav Abba bar Aybo'', ), commonly known as Rav (), was a Jewish amora of the 3rd century. He was born and lived in Kafri, Asoristan, in the Sasanian Empire. Abba Arikha establis ...

("Rav"), a disciple of Judah ha-Nasi. Among the well-known sages that headed the yeshiva were Rav Huna, Rav Chisda, Rav Ashi,

Yehudai Gaon Yehudai ben Nahman (or Yehudai Gaon; Hebrew: יהודאי גאון, sometimes: Yehudai b. Nahman) was the head of the yeshiva in Sura from 757 to 761, during the Gaonic period of Judaism. He was originally a member of the academy of Pumbedita, ...

, Natronai Gaon,

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''; ...

, and others.

History

Rav ( Abba Arikha) arrived at Sura city to find no lively Jewish religious public life, and since he was worried about the continuity of the Jewish community in

, he left his colleague Samuel of Nehardea in Nehardea and began working to establish the yeshiva that would become Sura Academy. Upon Rav's arrival, teachers from surrounding cities and towns descended upon Sura. The Academy of Sura was formally founded in the year 225 CE, several years after Rav's arrival. Sura Academy would eventually grow to include a faculty of 1200 members and included the following features: *''Eksedrah'' (), a covered walkway leading from the street up to the house of learning *''Kiton'' (), offices for the rabbis and deans and classrooms for teachers *''Ginatah'' (), garden whose produce fed the academy's teachers and students *''Tsipi'' (), flat mats placed on the floor, where teachers and students could rest between classes Sura Academy soon became the most influential yeshiva in its region, besting the Nehardea Academy. The academy's classes were occasionally held at

Matha-Mehasia Sura ( syr, ܫܘܪܐ) was a city in the southern part of the area called by ancient Jewish sources Babylonia, located east of the Euphrates. It was well-known for its agricultural produce, which included grapes, wheat, and barley. It was also ...

(), a suburb of Sura city, and after a while a

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

center was founded there as well.

List of Sura academy's Deans

Amora era

* Abba Arikha ("Rav") (founder of the academy) * Rav Huna (

Rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

, after Rav, for about 40 years) * Rav Chisda * Rav Ashi * Maremar * Idi ben Abin (II) * Nachman ben R. Huna * Mar ben R. Ashi (Tabyomi) * Rabbah Tosafa'ah * Ravina II

Savora era

Rav Ena Rav Ena ( he, רב עינא, read as ''Rav Ena'') was a Jewish Savora sage of the second generation of the Savora era. He headed the Sura academy and was a counterpart of R. Simuna, head of the Yeshiva in Pumbedita. According to the ''Iggeret Rav S ...

Gaonim era The list names in accordance with Hebrew Wikipedia; &
Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

GaonSynchronistic List of the Geonim of Sura and Pumbedita
/ref>The list names is also based on "Jews in Islamic countries in the Middle Ages", Moshe Gil, p. 404 - A Chronological List of the Geonim of Sura and Pumbedit

/ref>The list dates are in accordance with the work of Prof. Moshe Gil, "Kingdom of Israel in the Gaonic era", 1997 . Some of the information concerning the dates are based on factual sources, however, some are based on premises, in the absence of authoritative sources or due to contradiction between sources. There is a dispute among the scholars concerning some of the dates, and not all is agreed upon.

* Mar ben Huna, Mar ben R. Huna - 591 *

R. Hanina R. or r. may refer to: * '' Reign'', the period of time during which an Emperor, king, queen, etc., is ruler. * '' Rex'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning King * ''Regina'', abbreviated as R., the Latin word meaning Queen * or , abbrevia ...

(Hananiah, Hinenai) - around 610 *

Rav Hunai ''Rav'' (or ''Rab,'' Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah; a Jewish spiritual guide; or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (1:6) states that: The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for '' rabbi''. (For a more ...

(Huna) - around 650 * Rav Sheshna (Sheshua, Mesharsheya b. Tahlifa) - around 670 * Hanina of Nehar Pekkod (Hananiah, Hinenai, Ha-Kohen, of Nhr iverPaqod) - 689-694 * Hillai of Naresh (Nehilai, Ha-Levi) - 694-712 * Jacob of Nehar Pekod (Ha-Kohen, Nhr Paqod) - 712-730 * Rav Samuel Gaon (of Pumbedita) (Rabba's grandson, descendant of Amemar) - 730-748 *

Mari ha-Kohen of Nehar Pekod Mari may refer to: Places *Mari, Paraíba, Brazil, a city *Mari, Cyprus, a village *Mari, Greece, a village, site of ancient town of Marius * Mari, Iran (disambiguation), places in Iran * Mari, Punjab, a village and a union council in Pakistan ...

(Nahr Paqod)- 748-756 * Rav Aha Gaon - 756 *

Yehudai ben Nahman Yehudai ben Nahman (or Yehudai Gaon; Hebrew: יהודאי גאון, sometimes: Yehudai b. Nahman) was the head of the yeshiva in Sura from 757 to 761, during the Gaonic period of Judaism. He was originally a member of the academy of Pumbedita, but ...

(

, Judah) (Author of

Halakhot Pessoukot ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

) - 757-761 * Ahhunai Kahana ben Papa (Ahunai, Huna, ha-Kohen) - 761-769 * Haninai Kahana ben R. Huna (Hanina, ha-Kohen, Ahunai) - 769-774 * Mari ha-Levi ben R. Mesharsheya - 774-778 *

Bebai ha-Levi ben R. Abba of Nehar Pekod Rav Bebai ha-Levi ben Rav Abba of Nehar Pekod (Hebrew language, Hebrew: רב ביבוי הלוי בר אבא מנהר פקוד) also known as Rav Bibi (רב ביבי) was the Sura Academy, Gaon of Sura from 778 up until his death in 789. Biograp ...

(Biboi, Nahr Paqod) - 778-789 * Hilai ben R. Mari (Hillai) - 789-798 *

Jacob ha-Kohen ben Mordecai 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 Isla ...

(Mordechai) - 798 *

Rav Abimai ''Rav'' (or ''Rab,'' Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah; a Jewish spiritual guide; or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (1:6) states that: The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi''. (For a more nuan ...

(Abumai, Ikhomai, ha-Kohen) (brother of R. Mordecai) - 815 * Zadok ben R. Ashi (Issac Sadoq, ben Jesse) - 810-812 * Hilai ben R. Hananiah (Hillai) - 812-816 * Kimoi ben R. Ashi (Qimoi) - 816-820 * Mesharsheya Kahana ben Jacob Gaon (Moses, ha-Kohen) -820-830 *''Two years of an absence of a Gaon''(843-844) *

Kohen Tzedek ben Abimai Kohen Tzedek ben Abimai HaKohen (Hebrew: רב כהן צדק בן איבומאי הכהן; – 848) was the Gaon of Sura from 832–843. Biography Kohen Tzedek was born in about 816. His father Rav Abimai was the Sura Gaon in 815 and a descenda ...

Gaon (Sedeq, Ikhomai, Abumai) - 832-843 * Sar Shalom ben Boaz - 843-853 * Natronai ben R. Hilai ben R. Mari Gaon ( Natronai ben Hilai)- 853-861 * Amram bar Sheshna ( Amram Gaon, Amram ben R. Sheshna) (Author of the Siddur) - 861-872 * Nahshon ben R. Zadok - 872-879 * Zemah ben R. Hayyim - (Semah) 879-886 * Rav Malka - 886 * Hai ben R. Nahshon ben Tzadok (ben Issac Sadoq) - 886-896 * Hilai ben Natronai ben Hilai Gaon (Hillai, Natrunai) - 896-904 * Shalom ben R. Mishael - 904 * Jacob ben R. Natronai (ha-Kohen, Natrunai) - 911-924 * Yom-Tob Kahana ben R. Jacob (Yom Tov, ha-Kohen) - 924 *

Saadia ben Joseph 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''; ...

of Faym (Al-Fayyumi,

) - 928-942 *

Joseph ben Jacob Joseph ben Rav Jacob HaKohen (Hebrew: רבי יוסף בן רב יעקב הכהן) commonly known as bar Saṭya (Hebrew: בר סטיא; c. 902 - 969) was the Gaon of Sura from 930 to 936 and again from 942 to 948. Biography Joseph was born in ...

bar Satya (ben Satya) - around 930 *''The academy was closed for about 45 years'' * Zemah Tzedek ben Paltoi ben Isaac (Semah, Sedeq) - around 990 and around 998 *

Samuel ben Hofni Samuel ben Hofni (Hebrew: שמואל בן חפני, or full name: רב שמואל בן חפני גאון bbreviation: רשב"חor שמואל בן חפני הכהן; also: Samuel b. Hofni or Samuel ha-Kohen ben Hofni; died 1034). He was the Gaon of ...

(Hophni, ha-Kohen) (father-in-law of

Hai Gaon Hai ben Sherira (Hebrew: האי/י בר שרירא) better known as Hai Gaon (Hebrew: האי/י גאון, חאיי גאון), was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the ...

) - around 998 and around 1012 *

Dosa ben Saadia Dosa ben Saadia (Hebrew: דּוֹסָא בֶּן סַעֲדְיָה, ''Dōsā Ben Saʿăḏyāh'') (Arabic: دوسة بن سعيد الفيومي, ''Dawsa bin Saʻīd al-Fayyūmi'': - 1018) was a Talmudic scholar and philosopher who was the Gaon ...

Gaon (Son of

) - 1012-1018 *

Israel ha-Kohen ben Samuel ben Hofni Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(Hophni) - 1018-1033

References

{{Geonim Talmudic Academies in Babylonia Religious academies in Babylon Jewish Babylonian history Jewish education Jewish educational organizations Talmud Chazal

History

List of Sura academy's Deans

Amora era

Savora era

See also

References