jan 1, 933 - ר׳ סעדיה גאון – אמונות ודעות

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993 - גאונים

This work is considered to be the first Jewish philosophical work. ר׳ סעדיה גאון’s goal was to show how the fundamental truths of Judaism can be derived through rational thought. For example, he explains the idea of how the G-d being physically portrayed in the תורה is for our understanding because it’s beyond human understanding to know what G-d is actually like. This work was especially important because the growing body of secular philosophy was swaying the younger members of the Jewish community, so אמונות ודעות was meant to counter it.

About the Author: While he was born in Egypt in 892 and educated in Israel, ר׳ סעדיה גאון was invited to be the head of ישיבת סורא because of his extraordinary תורה mind. His leadership, however, was much disputed because there was never a foreigner who served as a ראש ישיבה. Despite this, his work was prolific and he had a major impact on the Yemenite Jews in the Diaspora and in fighting Karaites. ר׳ סעדיה גאון passed away in 942.

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