Ẓemaḥ Ẓedek ben Isaac
ẒEMAḤ ẒEDEK BEN ISAAC
ẒEMAḤ ẒEDEK BEN ISAAC (second half of tenth century), gaon of the Sura Academy in Baghdad from about 988 to about 997; descendant of R. *Ẓemaḥ b. Paltoi Gaon. R. Ẓemaḥ Ẓedek reopened the Sura Academy after it had been closed for some 45 years (after the death of R. Saadiah Gaon). In a letter of 953, attributed to Ẓemaḥ Ẓedek, which was probably sent to *Ḥisdai ibn Shaprut in Spain, the writer asked for contributions to the academies of Babylonia and appended a list of halakhic questions which had been addressed to Babylonian geonim. R. Ẓemaḥ Ẓedek maintained friendly relations with R. *Elhanan b. Shemariah of Egypt, with whom he had become acquainted when the latter had studied at Pumbedita under R. *Sherira Gaon and his son R. Hai Gaon. R. Ẓemaḥ Ẓedek gave his advice to R. Elhanan in questions concerning the nature and the unity of God.
bibliography:
E.D. Shapira, in: Ginzei Kedem, 3 (1925), 3–13; Mann, in: Hebrew Union College Jubilee Volume (1925), 227ff.; idem, in: huca, 3 (1926), 309–10; Mann, Texts, 1 (1931), 145–7, 478–9; Abramson, Merkazim, 113, 136.
[Abraham David]