Gaon (Hebrew)
Gaon (Hebrew: גאון, gā'ōn, lit. 'genius', plural geonim, גְּאוֹנִים, gĕ'ōnīm) may have originated as a shortened version of "Rosh Yeshivat Ge'on Ya'akov", although there are alternative explanations. In Ancient Hebrew, it referred to arrogance and haughty pride (Amos 6:8 – "I abhor the pride of Jacob 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 [of]'; Late Medieval and Modern Hebrew for 'genius'). Today, it may refer to:
One of the Geonim during the period 589–1040. Prominent Geonim include:
- Yehudai Gaon (Gaon 757–761)
- Sar Shalom Ben Boaz (Gaon 838–848)
- Natronai ben Hilai, Gaon of Sura (Gaon to 857)
- Amram Gaon, Gaon of Sura (Gaon 857–875)
- Saadia Gaon (882/892 – 942)
- Zemah ben Hayyim (Gaon 889–895)
- Sherira Gaon (906–1006)
- Samuel ben Hofni (died 1034)
- Hai Gaon (939–1038)
A 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 rabbis of later periods, called "gaon":
- The Vilna Gaon (1720–1797)
- The Rogatchover Gaon (1858–1936)
- The Steipler Gaon (1899–1985)
Many great rabbis, although not formally referred to as the "Gaon of ..." are often lauded with this honorific 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".