Natronai ben Hilai ( or Natronai the Gaon, ; Full name: Natronai ben Hilai ben Mari) was Gaon "head rabbi" of the

Sura Academy Sura Academy () was a Jewish yeshiva located in Sura in what is now southern Iraq, a region known in Jewish texts as "Babylonia". With Pumbedita Academy, it was one of the two major Jewish academies from the year 225 CE at the beginning of the ...

Rabbinic Judaism Rabbinic Judaism (), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, Rabbanite Judaism, or Talmudic Judaism, is rooted in the many forms of Judaism that coexisted and together formed Second Temple Judaism in the land of Israel, giving birth to classical rabb ...

Lower Mesopotamia Lower Mesopotamia is a historical region of Mesopotamia. It is located in the alluvial plain of Iraq from the Hamrin Mountains to the Faw Peninsula near the Persian Gulf. In the Middle Ages it was also known as the '' Sawad'' and al-Jazira al-s ...

from 857 until 865. He held this post for ten years. He is responsible for more written

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

to queries posed to him by world Jewry than any of his predecessors, and maintained close contact with the Jews of al-Andalus (now

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Responsa

Naṭronai was elderly when he became Gaon. Nonetheless, he issued many responsa. Questions were addressed to him from all parts of the

Jewish diaspora The Jewish diaspora ( ), alternatively the dispersion ( ) or the exile ( ; ), consists of Jews who reside outside of the Land of Israel. Historically, it refers to the expansive scattering of the Israelites out of their homeland in the Southe ...

. His answers, about 300 of which have been preserved in various compilations (e.g., in ''Shaʿare Ṣedeq,'' ''Teshuvot ha-Ge'onim,'' and ''Qebbuṣat ha-Ḥakamim'', ''Teshuvot Rav Natrunai Gaon'', Jerusalem 5771, edited by Y. Brody), show his thorough mastery of the subjects treated as well as his ability to impart knowledge. Natronia always employed the language with which his correspondents were most conversant. He wrote equally well in

Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Jewish Babylonian Aramaic (Aramaic: ) was the form of Middle Aramaic employed by writers in Lower Mesopotamia between the fourth and eleventh centuries. It is most commonly identified with the language of the Babylonian Talmud (which was comp ...

and Medieval Hebrew. He was the first attested Gaon to use

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

(in the form of Classical Judeo-Arabic) for scholastic correspondence.

Opposition to Karaites

Natronai staunchly opposed

Karaite Judaism Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Rabbinic Judaism, non-Rabbinical Jewish religious movements, Jewish sect characterized by the recognition of the written Tanakh alone as its supreme religious text, authority in ''halakha'' (religious law) and t ...

. He endeavored to enforce the observance of every rabbinic provision emanating from or as explained by either of the

Talmudic academies in Babylonia The Talmudic academies in Babylonia, also known as the Geonic academies, were the center for Jewish scholarship and the development of Halakha during the Geonic era (from c. 589 to 1038 CE; Hebrew dates: 4349 AM to 4798 AM) in what is called ...

. Since the Karaites rejected the ritualistic forms of these schools, he made strenuous efforts to establish uniformity among the Rabbanites. The origin of many ritualistic formulae is traced to him. Naṭronai was also credited with a mastery of kefitzat haderech (''qəfiṣáth haddérekh'' " shortening of the way"), or magical transit. He allegedly miraculously transported himself to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where he instructed the people, and then returned to Mesopotamia the same way.

Hai ben Sherira Hai ben Sherira (), better known as Hai Gaon (), was a medieval Jewish theologian, rabbi and scholar who served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita during the early 11th century. He was born in 939 and died on March 28, 1038. He receive ...

, however, denied this, suggesting that some adventurer may have impersonated Natronai and imposed on the Jews of France.''Ta'am Zekenim,'' ed.

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, 1854, pp. 55a, 56a et seq.; compare Abraham Harkavy, ''Zikkaron la-Rishonim wegam la-Aḥaronim,'' iv., p. xxiii.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Natronai Ben Hilai Geonim 9th-century rabbis Rabbis of Academy of Sura Exilarchs