Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta

 

'''Rebbe Shimon ben Chalafta''' was one of the last Tanaim and a friend of [[Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi|Rebbe Yehuda Hanasi]]. He was a grandson or brother of [[Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta|Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta]].

[[File:00000115 kever rabbi shimon ben chalafta.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Closeup of Tzion Rebbe Shimon.]][[File:00000114 tzion rabbi shimon ben chalafta.jpg|thumb|180px|right|Kever of Rebbe Shimon in Safed.]] According the [[Rabbi-Yitzchak-Luria|Arizal]] in Shaar Hagilgulim, Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta is buried in the area around the old [[Safed|Tzfas]] cemetery. The location of Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta's Kever was unknown until it was recently discovered by Yisroel Meir Gabbi who found its approximate location after analyzing a number of description found in old texts. According to Gabbi, the Kever of Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta is located right across from the Kever of [[Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya|Rebbe Yehoshua ben Chananya]] in the [[Ancient Tzfat Cemetery|ancient cemetery of Safed]] on the left side of the staircase leading down from the [[Ari-Mikva|Arizal mikvah]]. Although its exact location is unknown, Gabbi and his organization Ohali Tzadikim marked its approximate location by painting it blue and putting up a sign. Mistakenly the kever on the left side of [[Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta|Rabbi Yossi]] right near [[Abba Chalafta|Abba Chalafta]] in Kfar Chananya has been marked as the kever of Rabbi Shimon.