Gaon (Hebrew)

Gaon (gā'ōn) (Hebrew: גאון‎, lit. 'genius', plural גְּאוֹנִים‎ geonim — gĕ'ōnīm) may have originated as a shortened version of "Rosh Yeshivat Ge'on Ya'akov", though there are alternative explanations.[1][2] 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, that is to say the heads of the two major academies, at Pumbedita and Sura, and later in Baghdad, during the period 589-1040. Prominent Geonim include:
  • Yehudai Gaon (Gaon 757-761)
  • Sar Shalom Ben Boaz (Gaon 838-848)
  • Natronai II, 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)
• 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 rabbis of later periods, called "gaon":
  • The Vilna Gaon (1720–1797)
  • The Rogatchover Gaon (1858–1936)
  • The Steipler Gaon (1899–1985)

Many great Rabbis,[3] though 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".