Mari ben R. Dimi
Rav Mari ben Rav Dimi (Aramaic: רב מרי בר רב דימי), born in the mid-6th century, was the second dean (gaon) of the Pumbedita Academy, following Hanan of Iskiya. During a period of persecution, several scholars left Pumbedita to start a Yeshiva in Firuz Shapur, where Rav Mari served as dean until Hanan’s death in 609. Afterward, Rav Mari was elected to succeed him as gaon and led the academy for about 19 years. He was the son of Rav Dimi, but little else is known about his life; much of what we know comes from Rav Sherira Gaon, writing about three centuries later. Some sources call him “Sargo,” possibly indicating his birthplace. He is generally believed to have become dean after Hanan’s death and to have served until around 628, when Rav Hana succeeded him.
Like many Gaonim, much of his teaching was not preserved under his own name. The main surviving record is in Teshuvot Hagaonim, which quotes Yehudai Gaon recounting a trip in which Rav Mari debates his father about the meaning of certain plants mentioned in the Talmud. Another teaching sometimes linked to him concerns Mamzerim (children born from forbidden unions): he suggested that a Mamzer should marry a converted slave, producing children who are no longer Mamzerim, thereby freeing the slave’s child and avoiding the usual marriage difficulties for Mamzerim.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:42 (CET).