Gaon (Hebrew: גאון, gā'ōn, lit. 'pride', plural geonim, גְּאוֹנִים ‎, gĕ'ōnīm) was originally a formal title for the Geonim, heads of Talmudic academies in the 6th–11th century.

Gaon, the title accorded to the Jewish spiritual leaders and scholars who headed Talmudic academies that flourished, with lengthy interruptions, from the 7th to the 13th century in Babylonia and Palestine.

In the 12 th and 13 th centuries – after the geonic period in the exact sense of the term – the title gaon was also used by the heads of academies in Baghdad, Damascus, and Egypt. It eventually became …

The gaon of Sura sat at the right hand of the exilarch, while the gaon of Pumbedita sat at the left. When both were present at a banquet, the former pronounced the blessing before and after the meal.

The Gaon is viewed as the spiritual father of the Mussar Movement, one of the main great philosophical and social trends of East European Jewry in the 19 th century and founded by Rabbi Yisrael Salanter.

The meaning of GAON is a Jewish head of one of the Babylonian academies at Sura and Pumbedita from about a.d. 589—1038 and usually an eminent religious scholar and judicial authority —used as …

The term Gaon originally means “pride” or “splendor” in Hebrew. In the context of Jewish religious titles, it signifies someone of great knowledge and intellectual prowess.

First and foremost, the gaon was the head of the academy, teaching privately and publicly, especially during the kallah months (see below). In addition, he served as judge and the head of the equivalent …

Jun 20, 2006 · The more common meaning is “Torah Genius;” it is one of the highest forms of praise to be considered a “gaon.” The prime example in relatively “modern” times was the “Vilna Gaon.”

The term “Gaon” in Rabbi Saadia’s name indicates his leadership role in the Torah academy of Sura in Babylonia. For over 400 years, from c. 600 - 1040 CE, the twin Babylonian Torah academies of Sura …