Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna - The Vilna Gaon 1720 – 1797 The "Gra" , popularly referred to as the Vilna Gaon was born in Vilna,Lithuania in 1720. His full name was Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna. The word "Gaon" means genius and that is proper for The Vilna Gaon. The Vilna Gaon was probably the most influential Jewish leader in modern history. The Gaon was even amazing as a child , at age 7 he gave a shiur in the great synagogue …showed first 75 words of 4119 total…

…showed last 75 words of 4119 total…his vast and varied writings on all Torah subjects and from his outstanding students who went on to spread Torah throughout the people of Israel. One of the most famous of the Gaon's students was Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin, founder of the Volozhiner Yeshiva. This yeshiva followed the Gaon's approach to learning. It was the premier center of Torah study for about 100 years and is the ancestor of most of the yeshivas that exist today.