Sar Shalom ben Boaz

Sar Shalom bar Boaz (Hebrew: מ״ר שר שלום בר מ״ר בועז‎) also known as Sar Shalom Gaon was the Gaon of Sura from 838 to 848. He was one of the most prolific writers of his time, having more than one hundred responsa attributed to him. He is known for his unusually lenient and tolerant attitude towards Halakha, which defined his tenure as gaon and left an impact on the complexion of Babylonian Jewry. He was succeeded as Gaon of Sura by Natronai bar Hilai.

In almost all of his responsa to neighbouring communities, Sar Shalom writes in a friendly and non condescending tone despite his esteemed position. In halakhic cases, he often points out the differences between Sura and Pumbedita, letting each community choose which academy's view suits them best. Furthermore, he would go on to explain in great detail his halakhic reasoning, so that each community could learn the processes of psak (halakic decision making).

His responsa also clearly show that Sar Shalom was very tolerant toward non-Jews; he explicitly prohibited taking advantage of, or in any way infringing upon the rights of, gentiles, even when there was no chillul Hashem. Despite his mild and tolerant disposition, he was adamantly against money lenders, and encouraged the severe punishment of those men who treat their wives poorly or those women who are rebellious toward their husbands.

He often interpreted the Bible symbolically. In one particular case, he explained that the thirty cubits length of the upper curtains of the Temple represented the thirty generations from Isaac to Zedekiah, who witnessed the destruction of Solomon's Temple. Similarly, he also states that the Temple menorah consisting of twenty-five parts symbolizes the twenty-five generations from Adam to Moses.