Gaon (Hebrew)


Gaon may have originated as a shortened version of "Rosh Yeshivat Ge'on Ya'akov", though there are alternative explanations. In Ancient Hebrew, it referred to arrogance and haughty pride and later became known as a general term for pride, both the positive and negative forms. Today, it may refer to:
Many great Rabbis, 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".