Vilna Gaon (Elijah ben Solomon Zalman)
1720 – 1797 Lithuanian (Ashkenazi Jewish) Rabbi, talmudist, leader of the Mitnagdim
Preeminent Talmud scholar of his age and chief opponent of the rising Hasidic movement.
- Religion
- Judaism (Rabbinic)
- Affiliations
- Vilna (Vilnius); Lithuanian yeshiva tradition
The Vilna Gaon was revered for his mastery of the Talmud and the breadth of his learning, which extended into grammar, mathematics and the sciences. He led the Mitnagdim, the rabbinic camp that opposed Hasidism, and endorsed bans against the movement in the 1770s. His emphasis on rigorous study shaped the Lithuanian yeshiva world that followed.
In the timeline
- 1772 The Vilna Gaon opposes Hasidism central figure
- 1772 The Vilna Gaon leads the Mitnagdim against Hasidism central figure
- 1772 The Vilna Gaon and the Mitnagdim oppose Hasidism central figure
- 1803 The Volozhin Yeshiva renews Lithuanian scholarship mentioned
- 1803 Chaim of Volozhin founds the great Lithuanian yeshiva mentioned