Moshe Halevi shrine in Kashan

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Moshe Halevi shrine in Kashan

Moshe Helvi’s Tomb in Kashan

The scholar, jurist, poet, traditional medic, astronomer, and great Jewish mystic, Moshe Helvi was born in Kashan at the beginning of the Safavid era. He passed away on the fifth year of Shah Abbas I’s rule. The Kabbalist scholar has written a book on religious questions and answers, titled, “She’elot u-Teshuvot” (i.e. Questions and Answers). He also compiled a Hebrew calendar for the correct observance of Jewish holidays in Iran. He is said to have corresponded with Rabbi Eshagh Leviriayi, the great Kabbalist mystic.

Helvi is considered one of the greatest rabbinic authorities of Iranian Jewry. He was buried in his home in what is now Darayi Street in Kashan. His house and tomb were restored and renovated in 2006 by the Tehran Jewish Committee, with the assistance of Aghajan Shadi and the financial help of Davoud Alliance.