Halakhic Response by Rabbi Natronai Gaon,
from the Cairo Genizah
Babylonia, 9th century
Original at Cambridge University Library, UK
)T-S NS 169.462(
Responsa (written questions and answers) date back to the Talmud and Mishnah period, when letters were between the Land of Israel and Babylonia. Responsa became a unique literary genre during the Geonic period (named after the Geonim who headed the Babylonian yeshivas). Jews living in the diaspora would send questions seeking guidance in matters of Jewish law. Over the years, responsa spread to other regions in the Jewish world, primarily to places where the leading scholars lived. Responsa is still very prominent in modern media, in anything from newspapers to social media.
