רב שרירא גאון

Rav Sherira Gaon was a leading authority of the Geonic period whose responsa and rulings are quoted extensively in the codified halachic literature, especially as found in the Tur. He is cited across the full range of Jewish law—civil and monetary law (Choshen Mishpat), marriage and family law (Even HaEzer), and the laws of prayer and the festival cycle (Orach Chaim)—indicating the breadth of his halachic activity and the esteem in which his opinions were held by later codifiers such as the Rosh (Rabbeinu Asher).

In the cited passages his views address such matters as the penalty for one who verbally shames another—where he rules that the offender is placed under a ban (niddui) until he appeases the injured party—as well as detailed questions of authorization documents (harsha’ah), the validity of signed admissions of debt, and the definition of an expert judge (yachid mumcheh) qualified to adjudicate alone. In the laws of prayer he is recorded, together with Rav Hai Gaon, requiring that one fulfilling the obligation through the leader’s repetition concentrate on the entire prayer from beginning to end, as one praying for himself. His rulings thus span both intricate monetary jurisprudence and the practical conduct of communal worship.