The Saint Rabbi Moshe Ha-Levi of Kashan / רבי משה הלוי מכאשאן

Sacred tombs and other sanctified sites can be found in almost every community in Iran. Jews lived in Iran for over two thousand years, and their surroundigs naturally influenced their culture. Still extant today are the tombs of Habakkuk in Tuyserkan, Esther and Mordecai in Hamadan, Daniel in Susa, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah in Qazvin, and a site near Isfahan known as Serah bat Asher. These places are all worshipped by Jews and Muslims alike, as are the sacred tombs of rabbis, among them the tombs of Rabbi Or Sharga (d. 1794) in Yazd and of Rabbi Moshe Ha-Levi in Kashan. Although many legends are told about R. Moshe Ha-Levi, including one that describes him as a miraculous healer, almost nothing has been written about him. According to recently documented Judeo-Persian manuscripts and oral information, he may be a descendant of a rabbi who emigrated from Spain, probably toward the end of the fifteenth century. A renowned scholar, the rabbi settled in the then prosperous city of Kashan, sometimes called "Little Jerusalem", as it offered highly advanced Judaic studies. The meagre evidence available indicates that R. Moshe was probably born in Kashan and died there in 1585, aged 43. Yedidiah Shofet, incumbent rabbi of the Los Angeles Iranian community, is among those who claim to be descendants of R. Moshe. No Jews live in Kashan today. R. Moshe's tomb is in the centre of the city and is cared for by the Muslims, who revere "the divine Mullah Moshe".