Khalaf ibn Sarjado

Not much is known about Khalaf ibn Sarjado (or Sarjāda), whose Hebrew name was Aaron ben Joseph, beyond his involvement in the controversies surrounding Se‘adya Ga’on. Nathan ha-Bavli reports that Khalaf was extraordinarily wealthy and bribed the exilarch to have Se‘adya removed from his position as head of the Sura academy, but Nathan’s retelling cannot be accepted uncritically. Hardly an unbiased observer himself, Se‘adya describes Khalaf as an ignoramus. Khalaf was associated with the leading Baghdadi families who reacted strongly to the leadership of an outsider such as Se‘adya.