Rav Saadia bar Rav Yosef [(from the city of Fayum)] was Rosh Yeshiva in Sura from year 4687. [The Rashbash wrote in Yuchsin that he was not from the sons of the Rabbanan of the Metivta but was from Egypt and was ordained in Iyar of year 4687. He had to remain among them, the Rabbanan of Machsaya and the babies of ordination upon the Rabbanan of Pumbedita, and the Metivta of Machsaya sat for two years and found honor, and our teacher Saadia David the Nasi and our Rabbanan Saadia Gaon alone, David the Nasi who was called Yoshiya, wanted to be Reish Galuta but it did not succeed, and they pushed Yoshiya to Khurasan, and there David was appointed to Rav Yosef the son of Rav Yaakov to be Gaon in Machsaya, and he grew soft in years and was a small student compared to Mar Rav Saadia.

Rav Saadia Gaon delayed several years because of fear of dispute with David the Nasi, and Rav Yosef led the Gaonut in Machsaya, and finally Rav Saadia appeased David the Nasi and Rav Yosef was bought out in writing. The total years of Rav Saadia were twelve years. Mar Rav Saadia passed away in the days of his father the Gaon in year 942 (according to Tzemach David and Shalshelet HaKabbalah he died in year 4702, which is year 1254 in contracts, and a scribal error in what is written 942).

After David the Nasi, Rav Yosef was released in Machsaya and declined from power. He did not have authority to even open his mouth during the time of Rav Aharon Gaon (see above year 4669), and he abandoned Babylon and the Metivta of Machsaya and went and settled in the city of Basra, and he died there, and after that there was no Metivta in Machsaya.]

And it is written [in Yuchsin after the letter of Rashbash] that not many days passed until a dispute fell between the Reish Galuta and Rav Saadia, and the kingdom of Babylon was divided in two. All the wealthy of Babylon and the students of the yeshivot and the important people of the place were with Rav Saadia to help him with financial power and to show favor before the king and his officers and advisors.

There was in Babylon an important man named Khalev ben Saragdu who helped the Reish Galuta and was a wealthy man, and he gave from his wealth sixty thousand zuz to remove Rav Saadia from his place, but he was unable because with Rav Saadia were the sons of Netira and all the wealthy of Babylon. This Khalev was jealous of Rav Saadia because this Khalev was a man of eloquence and a great man in wisdom, and to all questions that were asked he would give two or three reasons, but Rav Saadia would add ten-fold upon him, and he was jealous of him in this matter.

The main dispute between Rav Saadia and the Reish Galuta was over matters of courtyards that belonged to people who were under the Reish Galuta, and much money fell to them in inheritance, and they sought its division, and a quarrel fell between them about it until they agreed to give a tithe from all that fell to them in inheritance to remove the hatreds and bring their judgment to light. The Reish Galuta received in his portion four hundred zuz from the tithe they gave him, and he wrote them documents and signed them and commanded them to go to the Rosh Yeshiva to confirm them.

When the documents reached Rav Saadia, he examined them and saw in them things that were not proper in his eyes. Despite all this, he said pleasantly, "Go to Kohen Tzedek the Rosh Yeshiva of Pumbedita and he will sign them." After Kohen Tzedek signed, they returned to Rav Saadia to sign them and confirm them. Rav Saadia said, "Why do you seek my signature? Here you have the signature of the Reish Galuta and the signature of Kohen Tzedek the Rosh Yeshiva of Pumbedita—is my signature also needed?" They said, "Why won't you sign?" He said, "I do not know," and he refused to reveal the matter to them until they adjured him many times to tell them what he saw in the documents.

He could not transgress the oath, so he took them and informed them what he saw in the documents and for what reason he invalidated them. They returned to the Reish Galuta and informed him. The Reish Galuta returned to him and sent Yehuda his son and said to him, "Go and tell him in my name to confirm the documents." Yehuda the son of the Reish Galuta went and told Rav Saadia in his father's name to sign the documents.

He said, "Return to your father and tell him it is written in the Torah, 'You shall not show favoritism in judgment.'" He returned to him a second time and said, "Tell him to sign the documents and don't be a fool." The young man returned and said to Rav Saadia pleasantly, not telling him his father's words, but said to him with request and appeasement to sign the documents so that no dispute would fall, and he did not tell him anything that his father said but appeased him with great appeasements to sign the documents so there would be no dispute between him and his father. When his father troubled him with going and returning, his anger was kindled and he raised his hand against Rav Saadia and said, "If you don't sign the documents as my father said, I will send my hand against you." The word came out of the young man's mouth, and the people of Rav Saadia grabbed him and brought him outside to the door and locked the gate in his face.

When he came to his father and saw his eyes weeping tears, he asked him about what happened and told him the whole story. When his father heard this, he excommunicated Rav Saadia and appointed Rav Yosef bar Yaakov to be Rosh Yeshiva of Sura in his place. And also Rav Saadia, when he heard the matter, he excommunicated the Reish Galuta and sent the son-in-law of the brother of David ben Zakkai, who was Yoshiya, to be in place of David ben Zakkai his brother, and he led for three years and died.

The dispute strengthened between them for seven years until an incident occurred between two men who clashed in judgment: one chose Rav Saadia and one chose the Reish Galuta. The Reish Galuta sent to the man that Rav Saadia had chosen, and he fled from him, and he struck him and wounded him. The beaten man went with torn clothes and cried out over the whole congregation and showed them what had happened to him.

The matter was very difficult for them because the custom was that any man who was under the authority of the Reish Galuta, the Rosh Yeshiva had no law or judgment over him or any objection of either one over his fellow in any matter that was under his authority. And if he was a stranger in the land and also from a foreign land and was not under the authority of this one or that one, he could go wherever he wished.

Because this beaten man was not under the authority of the Galut, the congregation was angry about what happened to him, and they all gathered at the house of Kesher ben Aharon, the son-in-law of Khalev ben Saragdu, who was a great man in Babylon and was among the important men of the place, and they told him how far the disputes of Israel had reached and how difficult was the incident. They said to him, "Arise, for the matter depends on you, and we are with you, and perhaps we can remove the dispute which depends only on your son-in-law Khalev." He went and gathered all the great men of the generation to his house, and the Reish Galuta was with them, and he spoke to him in their presence: "What is this deed that you have done, and how long will you hold onto dispute and not guard yourself from sin?

Fear the Lord your God and remove yourself from dispute, for you know how great is the power of dispute. Now see how you can repair your ways with Rav Saadia and make peace with him and set aside what is in your heart against him." The Reish Galuta responded to his words and promised him peace that he would do according to his words. He arose and went to Rav Saadia and brought him to his house and his party was with him, and he spoke to him all the same words that he spoke to the Reish Galuta, and he too promised him peace.

The Reish Galuta was in one room and those who accompanied him and all his men, and Rav Saadia and his party and all his men were in an adjacent room. Both were in the courtyard of this upright man who went between them with words of peace. Men from the leaders of the congregation stood in two parts: part one supported the Reish Galuta and part two supported Rav Saadia, and they went from here and from there until they met each other and kissed each other and embraced each other, and this matter was on the Fast of Esther.

When peace was made between them, the upright one was glad about the matter that they had made peace through him, and he adjured them and all who stood there that they would stay that night at his place and read the Megillah in his house. Neither the Reish Galuta nor Rav Saadia wanted to, but the Reish Galuta said, "Let Rav Saadia come to me or let him come to you." They cast lots and the lot fell on the Reish Galuta that Rav Saadia should go to him, and so he did—he went to him and ate with him the Purim meal and sat with him for three days.

On the third day he went in joy and gladness of heart. When the compromise was made between them, that Rav Yosef bar Yaakov whom the Reish Galuta had supported and made Rosh Yeshiva in place of Rav Saadia all those years that there was dispute between them—now that the dispute was annulled, that Rav Yosef the Rosh Yeshiva sat in his house, and despite this, the stipend that he received when he was Rosh Yeshiva was not withheld from him but was sent to his house.

When the Reish Galuta died, they sought to appoint his son in his place, but he did not survive after his father except seven months and died. He had a small son about twelve years old, and Rav Saadia gathered him and placed him in the school until Rav Saadia died. At that time no one was found who was worthy to be Reish Galuta except another man who was of the contemporaries who was from the Netzivin, and they did not manage to appoint him until something happened to him: he quarreled with a certain gentile in the market and they testified against him that he cursed his god and he was killed, so it is concluded. [And Shalshelet HaKabbalah wrote that Rav Saadia died at fifty years old in year 4702.

And Yuchsin wrote in Seder HaKabbalah from the Rema and Shalshelet HaKabbalah, letter 38, part 2, that Rav Saadia was from the seed of Rav Chanina ben Dosa from the sons of Shela ben Yehuda. Rav Saadia composed a commentary on the Torah in Arabic (see Siftei Yeshenim, page 2) and the Raavad brings it in Parshat Bereishit. And the book Even HaFilosofia, mentioned in Sefer Yetzirah. The book Egron on grammar.

The Emunot VeDe'ot on the beliefs of man, death, resurrection, reward and punishment. Commentary on Sefer Yetzirah. The book HaPidyon VeHaPurkan on matters of redemption and futures. And a commentary on Daniel.

And in the book Emunot that the Shet composed he wrote that it appeared to him that Rav Saadia rejected the belief in gilgul (transmigration of souls). And in the commentary on Sha'arei Orah, section 69, he wrote, "I found in the commentary on Shir HaShirim by the Rasag."]

Tzemach David wrote that David ben Zakkai was close to the kingdom, for from the days of the Ishmaelites the Reish Galuta did not lead authority properly and fittingly, but they would establish him from the kings like tax collectors. David ben Zakkai sought to harm Rav Saadia, but he fled and hid for seven years, and while in hiding he composed his books. [Rav Saadia Gaon is buried near Mount Sinai (Gedolei Yisrael), and some wrote that he is buried in the Metivta of Machsaya.]

After the passing of Rav Saadia, Rav Yosef the son of Rav Yaakov led in Kharsti and was Nasi for fourteen years [(see above)].