Editing Saadia Gaon (section)

===Early life===
Saadia was born in Dilāẓ in the [[Faiyum]] in [[Middle Egypt]] in 892. He immigrated to ancient Israel (in the Abbasid province of Bilad Al-Sham) in 915 at the age of 23, where he studied in [[Tiberias]] under the scholar Abu Kathir Yaḥya al-Katib (known as [[Eli ben Yehudah ha-Nazir]] in Hebrew), a Jewish [[mutakallim]] or theologian also mentioned by [[ibn Hazm|ibn Ḥazm]]. In 926, Saadia settled permanently in [[Lower Mesopotamia]], known to Jews as "[[Talmudic academies in Babylonia|Babylonia]]", where he became a member of [[Sura Academy]].

Saadia, in ''Sefer ha-Galui'', stresses his Jewish lineage, claiming to belong to the noble family of [[Shelah (son of Judah)|Shelah]], son of [[Judah (son of Jacob)|Judah]],<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Chronicles|1|4:21|HE}}</ref> and counting among his ancestors [[Hanina ben Dosa]], the famous ascetic of the first century. Saadia expressed this claim by calling his son [[Dosa ben Saadia|Dosa]]; this son later served as gaon of Sura Academy from 1012–1018. Regarding Joseph, Saadia's father, a statement of the [[Talmudic academies in Syria Palaestina|Palestinian gaon]] [[Aaron ben Meïr]] has been preserved saying that he was compelled to leave Egypt and died in [[Jaffa]], probably during Saadia's prolonged residence in the [[Holy Land]].

The usual [[Nisba (onomastics)|nisba]] ''al-Fayyumi'' refers to Saadia's native place, the [[Fayyum]], which is located in [[Middle Egypt]]; in Hebrew, it is often given as ''Pitomi'', derived from a contemporary identification of Fayum with the Biblical [[Pithom]], an identification found in Saadia's works.

At the age of 20, Saadia began composing his first great work, the Hebrew [[dictionary]] called the ''[[Agron (dictionary)|Agron]]''.<ref>[[Abraham Firkovich]], Hebrew Newspaper ''Hamelitz'' - 1868, Issue 26–27</ref>  At 23, he composed a polemic against the followers of [[Anan ben David]], particularly Solomon ben Yeruham, thus beginning the activity which was to prove important in opposition to [[Karaite Judaism]] in defense of [[Rabbinic Judaism]]. In the same year, he left Egypt and moved to [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]].

In 921, Saadia triumphed over Gaon Aaron ben Meïr over the latter's introduction of a new [[triennial cycle]] of Torah reading that also changed the dates of [[Passover]] and [[Rosh Hashanah]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Saadia Gaon |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/saadia-gaon |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> Later, one of Saadia's chief disputants was the Karaite by the name of Abu al-Surri ben Zuṭa, who is referred to by [[Abraham ibn Ezra]], in his commentary on [[Mishpatim#Second reading—Exodus 21:20–22:3|Exodus 21:24]] and [[Emor#Fifth reading—Leviticus 23:23–32|Leviticus 23:15]]).<ref>[Herzog College Ben Zuta], [[Herzog College]] (in Hebrew)</ref>

In the year 928, at the age of thirty-six (variant: forty-six), [[David ben Zakkai]], the [[Exilarch]] or head of Babylonian Jewry, petitioned Saadia to assume the honorary title of gaon, where he was appointed that same year the Gaon of Sura Academy at [[Mata Mehasya]], a position which he held for 14 years until his death.<ref>{{cite book |author-last=Sherira Gaon |author-link=Sherira Gaon |title=The Iggeres of Rav Sherira Gaon |translator=Nosson Dovid Rabinowich | publisher=Rabbi Jacob Joseph School Press - Ahavath Torah Institute Moznaim|date=1988 |location=Jerusalem|pages=150–151 |language=en|oclc=923562173 }}</ref>

After only two years of teaching, Saadia recused himself from teaching because of a dispute that had fallen out between him and the Exilarch. During Saadia's absence, his post was occupied by [[Joseph ben Jacob]], the grandson of [[Natronai ben Hilai]]. At length, Saadia was reconciled with the Exilarch and returned to serve in his former position, although Joseph ben Jacob also remained serving in his capacity as Gaon.