R. Elijah ben Solomon Zalman of Vilna (Vilna Gaon, 1720-97) is a dominant figure in Jewish intellectual thought, his importance and prestige undiminished, as great today, if not greater, than in his own time. The Vilna Gaon’s extraordinary intelligence, expressed by his expertise in Torah at the age of three, outdistancing his tutors while a young child, his incredible proficiency over the entire expanse of the written and Oral Torah by nine, by which time he was already studying Kabbalah, accompanied by complete piety, are attested to by numerous reputable sources. More than seventy works, encompassing Bible, halakhah, Talmud, Kabbalah, and general sciences are attributed to him.

הסכמות: ר' אברהם שמחה ב"ר [יעקב] נחמן, אמטשיסלאוו, ד אייר תר"ך; ר' יצחק אלחנן [ספעקטאר], קאוונא, ח אב תרכ"ח; ר' בצלאל בהרי"ם [ר' ישראל משה], ווילנא, ה אדר תרכ"ח; ר' ישראל יהושע [טרונק] מקוטנא, ווארשא, א דראש-תודש אלול; ר' חיים אלעזר וואקס מקאליש, ווארשא, יג אב תרמ"א; ר' שמואל זנוויל [קלעפפיש], ווארשא.