The Jewish community of Mashhad will always consider its existence indebted to the brave resistance, sacrifice, and valuable contributions of the charitable Rabbi Molla Mordecai Aghalor.
Rabbi Mordecai Aghalor was known as Molla Morad. He was born in 1850 (5610 Hebrew Calendar) into a religious Jewish family in Mashhad, just eleven years after the Allahdad incident, in which Mashhadi Jews were massacred and pillaged.
As the documents suggest, Molla Morad Aghalor’s predecessors migrated from Spain in the mid-17th century and settled in Kashan (1). They migrated once again, this time from Kashan to Mashhad, during Nader Shah Afshar’s ministership.
His father was Arfuel Aghalor (2), a well-known and trusted businessman in Mashhad. As was customary in those days, he sent Mordecai to a traditional Islamic school to learn Persian. Like other Jews, his father taught him the Jewish traditions, ways, Hebrew, and Torah recitation at home. Molla Agha Morad learned all the Islamic pillars and ancillaries of faith, the Islamic traditions and customs, and the rules related to Quran recitation, in addition to Persian and Arabic.
Molla Morad had acquired such a deep understanding of Islamic faith and Quran interpretation that he translated the Quran to Farsi, an achievement that made him the leader of Mashhadi Jews and earned him special recognition from Shia scholars and religious leaders. The admiration that Molla Morad received also led to an elevated respect for Jews as a whole.
Mordecai was frequently invited to speak at Shia events. With his strong eloquence and clear statements, he delivered fascinating lectures. With his wise methods, he managed to repair the relationship between the Jews and the rest of the people of Mashhad, creating a calmer situation for Mashhadi Jews during the chaos they were in. This became a turning point for Jews to maintain their faith and pass on their culture.
In line with his Islamic education, Molla Morad Aghalor dived deep into studying the Holy Book and teaching the pillars and ancillaries of the Jewish faith. The goal to learn the Babylonian Talmud was his youth-long dream. Since the Talmud was in Aramaic, he learned the language with great dedication using a Bilingual Torah that had Hebrew and a translation by Onkelos.
Soon, his dream materialized as he learned Aramaic and could independently understand Babylonian Talmud, this in addition to his understanding of Persian, Hebrew, and Arabic, opening a new chapter in his life. Molla Morad’s cultural activities expanded to translating many religious books and scripts, one of which was the translation of the Babylonian Torah of Onkelos (3) to Aramaic (4).
Rabbi Aghalor had a unique ability in writing, lecturing, and research in religious areas, a skill he practiced with utmost expertise. As a teacher of the Talmud, Molla Morad was able to quickly reach the level of issuing religious decrees among the Jewish community of Mashhad. He led the Jewish community there with relentless determination during a period when the Jews of Mashhad had lost their patience against the Galut that occurred. He maintained and revived the beliefs and culture of the Jews, guiding the stormed Jewish vessel to the shores of peace.
During the Galut, when it was difficult to learn Hebrew or Jewish teachings, Molla Morad Aghalor provided a remarkable service to the Jewish community. He translated the weekly Siddurim of Shabbat and Moadim, known as Oulat Shabbat, into Persian and distributed it for free to the Jews of Mashhad and other cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan. He also distributed Yeroshalim among Mashhadi Jews, creating a platform for Persian-speaking Jews to recite the Siddurim.
Molla Morad Aghalor translated and published many books with his own money, including the Book of Psalms, Selichot, Book of Esther (also known as Megillat Esther), the Rosh Hashanah and Kippur prayers, Shir Hashirim (also known as the Song of Songs or the Song of Solomon), and other odes by Jewish poets – such as Shahin and Babai Lotf. Many of these translations were republished in Jerusalem. For example, Selichot was published in 1927, the Ethics of the Fathers and Rosh Hashanah and Kippur prayers were published in 1929, and Pesach Haggadah was published in 1930. The clarity of his translations and the literary expertise he displayed in his translations, especially rhymes, shows that he had a taste in poetry too. Although most of Molla Morad’s translations have already been published, some remain as manuscripts kept at the Tel Aviv Museum.
The social and cultural activities of Molla Morad Aghalor hold great importance for the Anusim Jewish community in Mashhad (i.e., Jews who were forced to hide or abandon their Jewish faith) and other Jews in Iran. During the 1870s, this devoted clergyman emphasized the need for families to gather in their homes every Shabbat evening and conduct Torah study sessions, known as “Dibreh” (educational sessions). He stressed the importance of imparting the true essence of the Jewish faith to their children, especially during a time when educational resources for Jews were scarce or inaccessible. This ensured that their rich cultural heritage would not fade into obscurity.
To pursue this mission, he allocated a room from his home for use as a synagogue and Talmud Torah classes every Shabbat evening to educate the youth. He strongly encouraged all his fellow community members to diligently follow all the Torah commandments and uphold their faith to expedite the arrival of the Ge’ulah (redemption). As a dedicated spiritual leader and advocate against ignorance, Molla Mordecai (Morad) Aghalor achieved remarkable success in preserving religious traditions and spreading the teachings of Judaism among his community members.
His impact extended beyond creating cohesion and unity within the Mashhadi Jewish community. He also staunchly upheld three fundamental principles:
A: Prohibiting interfaith marriages
B: Preserving the Jewish tradition of burial in their own cemetery
C: Observing the Brit Milah (circumcision) ceremony for male infants on the eighth day
Molla Morad’s main occupation revolved around the trade of leather, textiles, and silk. He used his earnings to construct a great synagogue in Mashhad, where he took on the role of its administrator.
In 1927, at the age of 77, he migrated to Jerusalem via India. He entrusted all his responsibilities in Mashhad to his eldest son, HaArav Rafael Aghalor (Molla Rafi). Remarkably, even in his retirement years and despite physical limitations and frailty, he continued to actively engage in his cultural pursuits until the end of his life.
Molla Morad Aghalor passed away at the age of 86 in 1936.
Currently, one of his descendants, HaArav Mordecai Aghalor, is a resident of Bnei Brak, Israel, and like his illustrious forefather, is actively engaged in cultural and charitable endeavors. He owns a male yeshivah (education center) named David.
Explanations:
1. The word Aghalor is a Spanish word (AGULR) that means “eagle”
2. The term Arfael is one of the titles commonly used for Jewish citizens in Kashan
3. Another translation of the Torah is known as Onkelos or Aquila. In the Babylonian Talmud, it is mentioned that Onkelos or Aquila was a Roman man, a relative of the Caesar, who embraced the Jewish faith. Under the guidance of Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua, he translated the Torah into Aramaic. It is worth noting that Onkelos’s translation was done freely, although he conscientiously ensured that it adhered to the principles of the original text of the Torah