How the Gaon interpreted the pre-Messianic period

ENThe genius ofthe Vilna Gaon needs no testimony from me. What makes this 18th Century giant unique for his time is his ability to derive Halacha (the law) from sources of the Torah and the Talmud. Not infrequently did he favor the Jerusalem Talmud over the Babylonian Talmud. He had anuncanny gift for identifying sources in his commentaries that eluded other commentators. I know ofno other Great who would defy other legal scholars, i. e. those ofthe Gaonic period and also Maimonides, and conclude Halacha that disputed their findings. Only the text of the Talmud was sacrosanct and he used his vast knowledge and insight to find the halacha even when it differed with prior authorities. Though this violated our general belief that we could never ignore these prior sages, so secure and certain was he in his legal decisions that he declared prior scholars asbeing in error [p. 77].