Yosef Qafiḥ ( he, יוסף קאפח , ), widely known as Rabbi Yosef Kapach (27 November 1917 – 21 July 2000), was a Yemenite-Israeli
authority
In the fields of sociology and political science, authority is the legitimate power of a person or group over other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' is practiced in ways such a judicial branch or an executive branch of government.''The N ...
on Jewish religious law (''
halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
Yemenite Jewish
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...
community in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, where he was sought after by non-Yemenites as well. He is widely known for his editions and translations of the works of
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
,
Saadia Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; ...
, and other early rabbinic authorities (''
Rishonim
''Rishonim'' (; he, ; sing. he, , ''Rishon'', "the first ones") were the leading rabbis and ''poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, , "Set Table", a ...
''), particularly his restoration of the
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''h ...
from old Yemenite manuscripts and his accompanying commentary culled from close to 300 additional commentators and with original insights. He was the grandson of Rabbi
Yiḥyah Qafiḥ
Yiḥyah Qafiḥ ( he, רבי יחיא בן שלמה קאפח; ar, يحيى القافح also known as Yiḥyah ibn Shalomo el Qafiḥ and as Yahya Kapach (his Hebrew name)) (1850–1931), known also by his term of endearment ''"Ha-Yashish"'' (En ...
, a prominent Yemenite leader and founder of the Dor Deah movement in Yemen. Qafih was the recipient of many awards, as well as an Honorary Doctorate from
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
.
Biography
Yosef Qafiḥ was born 27 November 1917 in
Sana’a
Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Governo ...
in
Yemen
Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...
. His father was Rabbi David Qafiḥ, who died after being assaulted by an Arab man, when his son Yosef was less than one year old. At the age of five, Yosef also lost his mother and was raised by his grandfather Rabbi
Yiḥyah Qafiḥ
Yiḥyah Qafiḥ ( he, רבי יחיא בן שלמה קאפח; ar, يحيى القافح also known as Yiḥyah ibn Shalomo el Qafiḥ and as Yahya Kapach (his Hebrew name)) (1850–1931), known also by his term of endearment ''"Ha-Yashish"'' (En ...
, under whom he studied
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
. In 1927, Yosef helped his grandfather retrieve the oldest complete
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
commentary from the Jewish community's ''
genizah
A genizah (; , also ''geniza''; plural: ''genizot'' 'h''or ''genizahs'') is a storage area in a Jewish synagogue or cemetery designated for the temporary storage of worn-out Hebrew-language books and papers on religious topics prior to proper ceme ...
'' in Sana'a, containing Rabbi
Nathan ben Abraham
Nathan ben Abraham, known also by the epithet ''President of the Academy'' () in the Land of Israel (died ca. 1045 – 1051), was an 11th-century rabbi and exegete of the Mishnah who lived in Ramla, in the Jund Filastin district of the Fatimid C ...
's elucidation of difficult words and passages in the Mishnah. The commentary was later published in Israel. (Young children in Yemen were often employed as copyists of ancient manuscripts.) At the age of thirteen, Yosef wrote out a complete copy of
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
' ''
Guide for the Perplexed
''The Guide for the Perplexed'' ( ar, دلالة الحائرين, Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn, ; he, מורה נבוכים, Moreh Nevukhim) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish the ...
'' in
Judeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic dialects (, ; ; ) are ethnolects formerly spoken by Jews throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Under the ISO 639 international standard for language codes, Judeo-Arabic is classified as a macrolanguage under the code jrb, encomp ...
.
When Yosef was 14, his grandfather died. When he and two of his acquaintances went to visit the burial-site of Yosef's grandfather, and then his father, they were accused of having burnt the grave of his grandfather's chief disputant, and were arrested and held in bonds. Because of the rift in the community between those who adhered to ''kabbalah'' and the rationalists, the two
informer
An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a “snitch”) is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law-enforcement world, where informan ...
s told the Arab authority about the young Yosef being a Jewish orphan, and that under the laws of the state's
Orphans' Decree The Orphans' Decree was a law in Yemen mandating the forced conversion of Jewish orphans to Islam promulgated by the Zaydi. According to one source, the decree has "no parallel in other countries".
This law, like all laws applying to dhimmi, was ap ...
he was required to be taken under the arms of the Islamic State and converted to Islam. The child was questioned about his father and upon the realization that his forced conversion to Islam was the informants' intent–with the arson accusation being a means to render him vulnerable to Muslim authority and attention–he did not answer his interrogator, and was released by the prison authority for no explained reason. The Imam,
Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din
, succession1 = King of Yemen
, succession2 = Imam of Yemen
, image = Imam yahya cropped.png
, image_size =
, caption = Portrait of Yahya by Ameen Rihani, 1922. Imam Yahya steadfastly refused to be photographed thro ...
, urgently requested that they find him a bride to bypass forced conversion to Islam as an orphaned child. Rabbi Yihye al-Abyadh (the king's physician) arranged for Yosef's marriage to
Bracha
In Judaism, a ''berakhah'', ''bracha'', ', ' ( he, בְּרָכָה; pl. , ''berakhot'', '; "benediction," "blessing") is a formula of blessing or thanksgiving, recited in public or private, usually before the performance of a commandment, or th ...
Saleh (Tzadok) in the same year of his grandfather's passing. In his early years, he worked as a silversmith.
In 1943 he immigrated to
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
, where he studied at the
Mercaz HaRav
Mercaz HaRav (officially, he, מרכז הרב - הישיבה המרכזית העולמית, "The Center of Rabbi ook- the Central Universal Yeshiva") is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, founded in 1924 by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Abraham ...
yeshiva
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...
Harry Fischel Institute Harry Fischel Institute for Talmudic Research ("Machon Harry Fischel") is a Jewish theological institute in Jerusalem that specializes in training dayanim (religious court judges). The institute was founded in 1931 by the American philanthropist ...
. In 1950 he was appointed as a ''dayan'' (rabbinic judge) in the Jerusalem district court. After Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodo ...
was invited to serve on the Jerusalem
beth din
A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
in 1958, in addition to Rabbi Qafih and Rabbi
Waldenberg
Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg ( he, הרב אליעזר יהודה וולדנברג; December 10, 1915 – November 21, 2006) was a rabbi, posek, and dayan in Jerusalem. He is known as a leading authority on medicine and Jewish law and referred to as ...
, rabbis Qafih and Yosef together would constitute a non-Ashkenazic majority in the beit din of three. In 1970, Qafih was appointed as a dayan in the Supreme Rabbinical Court. Throughout the course of more than half a century, numerous rabbis sat on various rabbinical courts with him, including Rabbis
Tzvi Pesach Frank
Tzvi Pesach Frank (20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) (Hebrew: הרב צבי פסח פרנק) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960).
Biography
Frank was born in Kovno, Vilna ...
,
Yosef Shalom Eliashiv
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv ( he, יוסף שלום אלישיב; 10 April 1910 – 18 July 2012) was a Haredi Rabbi and ''posek'' (arbiter of Jewish law) who lived in Jerusalem. Until his death at the age of 102, Rav Elyashiv was the paramount lead ...
,
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodo ...
,
Avraham Shapira
Avraham Shapira ( he, אברהם אלקנה כהנא שפירא; 20 May 1914, Jerusalem – 27 September 2007) was a prominent rabbi in the Religious Zionist world. Shapira had been the head of the Rabbinical court of Jerusalem, and both a ...
,
Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ( he, מרדכי צמח אליהו, March 3, 1929 – June 7, 2010, on the Hebrew calendar: 21 Adar I, 5689 - 25 Siwan, 5770),
, and the
Tzitz Eliezer
Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg ( he, הרב אליעזר יהודה וולדנברג; December 10, 1915 – November 21, 2006) was a rabbi, posek, and dayan in Jerusalem. He is known as a leading authority on medicine and Jewish law and referred to as ...
.
Rabbi Yosef Qafiḥ was a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel and president of the Yemenite community in Jerusalem. He died on 21 July 2000 at the age of 82, and is buried in Jerusalem's
Har HaMenuchot
Har HaMenuchot ( he, הר המנוחות, Ashkenazi pronunciation, Har HaMenuchos, lit. "Mount of Those who are Resting", also known as Givat Shaul Cemetery) is the largest cemetery in Jerusalem. The hilltop burial ground lies at the western ed ...
cemetery.
Scholarship
His main work in the field of Torah literature was his translation and publication of manuscripts of numerous works by
Sephardic
Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
Rishonim
''Rishonim'' (; he, ; sing. he, , ''Rishon'', "the first ones") were the leading rabbis and ''poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, , "Set Table", a ...
Saadia Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; ...
Kuzari
The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' ( ar, كتاب الحجة والدليل في نصرة الدين الذليل: ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also k ...
by
Judah ha-Levi
Judah Halevi (also Yehuda Halevi or ha-Levi; he, יהודה הלוי and Judah ben Shmuel Halevi ; ar, يهوذا اللاوي ''Yahuḏa al-Lāwī''; 1075 – 1141) was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, ...
and many other works in
Judaeo-Arabic
Judeo-Arabic dialects (, ; ; ) are ethnolects formerly spoken by Jews throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Under the ISO 639 international standard for language codes, Judeo-Arabic is classified as a macrolanguage under the code jrb, encomp ...
. The prime place in his oeuvre is reserved for the writings of Maimonides: he translated the ''
Guide for the Perplexed
''The Guide for the Perplexed'' ( ar, دلالة الحائرين, Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn, ; he, מורה נבוכים, Moreh Nevukhim) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish the ...
'', Commentary on the
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
, ''
Sefer Hamitzvot
''Sefer Hamitzvot'' ("Book of Commandments", Hebrew: ספר המצוות ) is a work by the 12th century rabbi, philosopher and physician Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "Sefer Hamitzvot" without a modi ...
'', letters and ''Beiur M'lekhet HaHiggayon'' and edited a 24-volume set of the
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''h ...
(posthumously divided into 25). His works and translations received recognition from the academic and Rabbinic world alike. His edition of Maimonides' Commentary on the Mishnah in particular is a regularly cited source in
ArtScroll
ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Rahway, New Jersey. Rabbi Nosson Scherman is the general editor.
ArtScroll' ...
's Yad Avraham Mishnah Series, with Rabbis
Nosson Scherman
Nosson Scherman ( he, נתן שרמן, born 1935, Newark, New Jersey) is an American Haredi rabbi best known as the general editor of ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications.
Early life
Scherman was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, where his paren ...
and
Meir Zlotowitz
Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz (13 July 1943 – 24 June 2017) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, author and founder of ArtScroll Publications.
Early life
Meir attended Yeshivas Rabbi Jacob Joseph (RJJ) on the Lower East Side of New York. He went on to atten ...
recognizing it as a "justly acclaimed translation of what is assumed to be Rambam's own manuscript." Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef ( he, , Ovadya Yosef, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and a founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodo ...
wrote that the seven years he sat with "the great Gaon Rabbi Yosef Qafiḥ ZT"L" in the beth din were "seven good years" and that Rabbi Qafiḥ toiled over his Torah day and night.
Qafih wrote extensively about the heritage of
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews or Yemeni Jews or Teimanim (from ''Yehudei Teman''; ar, اليهود اليمنيون) are those Jews who live, or once lived, in Yemen, and their descendants maintaining their customs. Between June 1949 and September 1950, the ...
, describing in a book, “Halichot Teman”, the Jewish life in Yemen, eclipsing even the renowned works of
Amram Qorah
Amram Qorah (27 May 1871 – 3 October 1952) () was the last Chief Rabbi in Yemen, assuming this role in 1934, after the death of Rabbi Yihya al-Abyadh, ''Resh Methivta'', and which role he held for approximately two years. He is the author of the ...
and ethnographer, Yaakov Sapir. He published several works of Yemenite Jewish provenance, such as ''Meor ha-Afelah'' by Nethanel ben Isaiah (14th-century), and ''Garden of the Intellects'' by
Natan'el al-Fayyumi
Natan'el al-Fayyumi (also known as Nathanel ben Fayyumi), born about 1090 – died about 1165, of Yemen was the twelfth-century author of ''Bustan al-Uqul'' (Hebrew: ''Gan HaSikhlim''; Garden of the Intellects), a Jewish version of Ismaili Shi'i do ...
(12th-century). He also published a book under the title of “Shivat Tzion” ''Tiklal'', a Yemenite prayer book reflecting the views of Maimonides in three volumes. In 1993 he published a new version under the title of “Siaḥ Yerushalayim” in four volumes (posthumously edited to six). Qafiḥ's seminal work, however, was his commentary on
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
' ''
Mishne Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''h ...
'', where he highlighted textual variations based on the Yemenite handwritten manuscripts of Maimonides' Code of Jewish law. Qafiḥ identified with the Dor Dai tendency, except that he did not publicly express opposition to the
Zohar
The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...
beyond saying that it was preferable to draw sustenance from the teachings of Maimonides. In his leadership of the Yemenite community in Israel he endeavored to maintain peace between the main factions in the community and worked to preserve Yemenite customs. In matters pertaining to Yemenite customs, even where later customs conflict with the earlier custom, Rabbi
Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ( he, מרדכי צמח אליהו, March 3, 1929 – June 7, 2010, on the Hebrew calendar: 21 Adar I, 5689 - 25 Siwan, 5770),
regarded the opinion of Rabbi Qafiḥ, who he called Mori Yusef (Hebrew: מארי יוסף), to be decisive.
The fruit of Rabbi Qafiḥ's scholarship remains, for the most part, untranslated and as such largely inaccessible to the English-speaking public. Examples of English translations based on his bilingual (Hebrew/Arabic) editions include Saadia on Job by Dr. Lenn E. Goodman, Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies, and Maimonides' ''Sefer Hamitzvot'' by Rabbi Berel Bell, Dayan of Kehilas Lubavitch on the Beth Din of Montreal and the founding dean of Chaya Mushka Seminary.
Legacy
Rabbi Qafih's followers observe halakhah as codified in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah with Qafih's commentary. Halakhic literature stemming from the rulings of Maimonides and Qafih has been published, often as essays. Although Rabbi Qafih had serious reservations about learning halakhah from halakhic compendiums and abridgments, for the benefit of the general public his students have published books to aid in following the rulings of Maimonides and Qafih. Among these works, the following has been published:
* ברכת משה על הלכות ברכות by Rabbi Aviad Ashwal, on the laws of '' b'rakhoth'';
* מועדי משה: הלכות חנוכה by Rabbi Aviad Ashwal, on the laws of
Chanukkah
or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
, nickname =
, observedby = Jews
, begins = 25 Kislev
, ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
, celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
;
* טהרת מש"ה by Rabbi Tzfanya Arusi, on the laws of
family purity
Niddah (or nidah; he, נִדָּה), in traditional Judaism, describes a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated require ...
;
* שמטת משה על הלכות שביעית by Rabbi Aviad Ashwal, on the laws of
Shmitta
The sabbath year (shmita; he, שמיטה, literally "release"), also called the sabbatical year or ''shǝvi'it'' (, literally "seventh"), or "Sabbath of The Land", is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah ...
.
Of note is an index volume of sorts, ''Lanhotam'' (Hebrew title: לַנְחֹתָם דרך 'משנה תורה'), by Yosi Seri which is a reference guide for learners of the Mishneh Torah with Rabbi Qafih's commentary.
Written responsa of Rabbi Qafih have been printed (listed below in Published Works) and continue to be publicized on a monthly basis in ''Allon Or Hahalichot''. Responsa drawn from Rabbi Qafih in oral conversations have been put to writing i תשובות הרב יוסף קאפח לתלמידו תמיר רצון (edited by Rabbi Itamar Cohen) and שו"ת טל יוסף: הרב יוסף קאפח of Rabbi Shmuel Tal.
Alongside the written works,
shiurim
Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), Tanakh (Bible), etc.
History
The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of Ju ...
rooted in Maimonidean doctrine and the exposition of Rabbi Qafih's teachings are given on a regular basis by a number of Rabbis in Israel such as Rabbis Ratzon Arusi, Uri Melammed, and Elyaqim Tzadoq. Shiurim of Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, Qafih's foremost student, are made freely available a net-sah.org
Close to 10 volumes of the Masorah L'Yosef journal have been published which include essays by authors of various persuasions that deal with Maimonides' and Rabbi Yosef Qafih's teachings. Other publications of note, with essays relating to Qafih's teachings, include ספר זכרון לרב יוסף בן דוד קאפח, ''From Yemen to Israel'' (Hebrew: מתימן לישראל), and דברי שלום ואמת.
Of special note among Rabbi Yosef Qafih's expounders is Rabbi Aharon Qafih who in addition to giving many weekly shiurim has published, among numerous essays, the books יריעות אהרן and מנחת אהרן devoted to Maimonidean doctrine and the teachings of Rabbi Yosef Qafih.
Published works
*
Saadia Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; ...
:
** ''Sefer Yetzira'', with Saadia Gaon's version of the text itself along with his Arabic commentary with facing Hebrew translation.
** Translations into Hebrew of Saadya Gaon's Arabic translation and commentary on
Mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
Kuzari
The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' ( ar, كتاب الحجة والدليل في نصرة الدين الذليل: ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also k ...
'' in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
* ''Gan HaSikhlim'' (Garden of the Intellects), written ca. 1147, by Rabbeinu Nathanel Beirav Fayyumi, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
* Questions and Responsa of the Ra'avi ( Abraham ben Isaac) Av Beth Din (Hebrew: שאלות ותשובות הראב"י אב"ד).
*
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
:
** ''Beiur M'lekhet HaHiggayon'', the first compilation of Maimonides, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation as well as various commentaries.
** Maimonides' Commentary on the Mishnah, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation (later editions have Hebrew only, in three volumes).
*** A selection from ''Pereq Ḥeleq'' (Maimonides' commentary on the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin) was translated to English per Rabbi Kafih's edition by Charles E. Butterworth and Raymond L. Weiss in ''Ethical Writings of Maimonides'' (New York, 1975).
*** ''Eight Chapters'' (Maimonides' Introduction to Tractate
Avoth
Pirkei Avot ( he, פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth''), which translates to English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from ...
) was translated to English, primarily per Rabbi Kafih's edition, by Charles E. Butterworth and Raymond L. Weiss in ''Ethical Writings of Maimonides'' (New York, 1975) p. 60-104
**
Mishneh Torah
The ''Mishneh Torah'' ( he, מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, , repetition of the Torah), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' ( he, ספר יד החזקה, , book of the strong hand, label=none), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''h ...
(Hebrew: מִשׁנֵה תּוֹרָה) of the
Rambam
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah s ...
, published according to ancient Yemenite manuscripts, with his own commentary (23-25 volumes).
*** ''Sefer HaMadda`'' (Hebrew: סֵפֶר הַמַּדָּע): Volume 1: הקדמת הרמב"ם. מנין המצוות. תוכן ההלכות של כל ספר משנה תורה. ספר המדע: הִלכּוֹת יסודי התורה, הלכות דעות, הלכות תלמוד תורה, הלכות עבודה זרה וחקות הגוים, הלכות תשובה
*** ''Sefer Ahavah'' (Hebrew: ספר אַהֲבָה): Volume 2: ספר אהבה: הלכות קרית שמע, הלכות תפלה וברכת כהנים, הלכות תפלין ומזוזה וספר תורה, הלכות ציצית, הלכות ברכות, הלכות מילה. נוסח התפלה
*** ''Sefer Zemannim'' (Hebrew: ספר זְמַנִּים)
**** Volume 3: הלכות שבת, הלכות ערובין, הלכות שביתת עשור
**** Volume 4a: הלכות שביתת יום טוב, הלכות חמץ ומצה, נוסח ההגדה
**** Volume 4b: הלכות שופר וסוכה ולולב, הלכות שקלים, הלכות קדוש החדש, הלכות תעניות, הלכות מגלה וחנוכה
*** ''Sefer Nashim'' (Hebrew: ספר נָשִׁים)
**** Volume 5: הלכות אישות
**** Volume 6: הלכות גרושין, הלכות יבום וחליצה, הלכות נערה בתולה, הלכות שוטה
*** ''Sefer Kedusshah'' (Hebrew: ספר קְדוּשָּׁה)
**** Volume 7: הלכות אסורי ביאה
**** Volume 8a: הלכות מאכלות אסורות
**** Volume 8b: הלכות שחיטה
*** ''Sefer Hafla'ah'' (Hebrew: ספר הַפלָאָה): Volume 9: הלכות שבועות, הלכות נדרים, הלכות נזירות, הלכות ערכים וחרמים
*** ''Sefer Zera'im'' (Hebrew: ספר זְרָעִים)
**** Volume 10: הלכות כלאים, הלכות מתנות ענים, הלכות תרומות
**** Volume 11: הלכות מעשרות, הלכות מעשר שני ונטע רבעי, הלכות בכורים עם שאר מתנות כהונה שבגבולין, הלכות שמטה ויובל
*** ''Sefer Avodah'' (Hebrew: ספר עֲבוֹדָה)
**** Volume 12: הלכות בית הבחירה, הלכות כלי המקדש והעובדים בו, הלכות ביאת המקדש, הלכות אסורי מזבח, הלכות מעשה הקרבנות
**** Volume 13: הלכות תמידין ומוספין, הלכות פסולי המוקדשין, הלכות עבודת יום הכפורים, הלכות מעילה
*** ''Sefer HaKarbanot'' (Hebrew: ספר הַקָּרבָּנוֹת): Volume 14: הלכות קרבן פסח, הלכות חגיגה, הלכות בכורות, הלכות שגגות, הלכות מחוסרי כפרה, הלכות תמורה
*** ''Sefer Taharah'' (Hebrew: ספר טָהֳרָה)
**** Volume 15: הלכות טומאת מת, הלכות פרה אדומה, הלכות טומאת צרעת, הלכות מטמאי משכב ומושב
**** Volume 16: הלכות שאר אבות הטומאות, הלכות טומאת אוכלין, הלכות כלים, הלכות מקוות
*** ''Sefer Nezikin'' (Hebrew: ספר נְזִיקִין): Volume 17: הלכות נזיקי ממון, הלכות גנבה, הלכות גזלה ואבדה, הלכות חובל ומזיק, הלכות רוצח ושמירת נפש
*** ''Sefer Kinyan'' (Hebrew: ספר קִניָן)
**** Volume 18: הלכות מכירה, הלכות זכייה ומתנה
**** Volume 19: הלכות שכנים, הלכות שלוחין ושותפין, הלכות עבדים
*** ''Sefer Mishpatim'' (Hebrew: ספר מִשׁפָּטִים)
**** Volume 20: הלכות שכירות, הלכות שאלה ופקדון, הלכות מלוה ולוה
**** Volume 21: הלכות טוען ונטען, הלכות נחלות
***** Appended to this is Rabbi Kapach's listing and explanation of "מפי השמועה" and "מפי הקבלה" in Mishneh Torah (34 pages).
*** ''Sefer Shofetim'' (Hebrew: ספר שׁוֹפְטִים)
**** Volume 22: הלכות סנהדרין והעונשין המסורין להן, הלכות עדות
**** Volume 23: הלכות ממרים, הלכות אבל, הלכות מלכים ומלחמות
** ''
Sefer Hamitzvot
''Sefer Hamitzvot'' ("Book of Commandments", Hebrew: ספר המצוות ) is a work by the 12th century rabbi, philosopher and physician Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "Sefer Hamitzvot" without a modi ...
'', in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation (5731
971
Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) ...
. This edition succeeded the Rambam L'Am edition of ''Sefer HaMitzvot'' (5718
958
Year 958 ( CMLVIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* October / November – Battle of Raban: The Byzantines under John Tzimiskes ...
for which Rabbi Qafih provided his translation and notes. In his later edition Rabbi Qafih repeatedly called out the former edition for its printing of errors against his agreement and without his knowledge, emphasizing that it should not be relied upon.
*** Based on what was then the newly-published edition of Rambam L'Am, Rabbi Dr. Charles B. Chavel translated Sefer HaMitzvot, published in two volumes by the
Soncino Press
Soncino Press is a Jewish publishing company based in the United Kingdom that has published a variety of books of Jewish interest, most notably English translations and commentaries to the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. The Soncino Hebrew Bible and Tal ...
in 1967 as ''The Commandments'' (Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides). Soncino Press described their edition as "the first complete English translation of the ''Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth'' based upon Rabbi Kapach's work." As Rabbi Bell would later note, "neither Rabbi Chavel nor Soncino were aware of Rabbi Kapach's reservations about the 1958 edition," as only 13 years thereafter, in 1971, would Rabbi Qafih supersede this Mossad Harav Kook edition.
*** Based on Rabbi Qafih's edition with the original Arabic, Rabbi Berel Bell produced an English translation (from Qafih's Hebrew) of the mitzvot in two volumes. His English translation, however, lacks Maimonides' Introduction and Principles.
**
Guide for the Perplexed
''The Guide for the Perplexed'' ( ar, دلالة الحائرين, Dalālat al-ḥā'irīn, ; he, מורה נבוכים, Moreh Nevukhim) is a work of Jewish theology by Maimonides. It seeks to reconcile Aristotelianism with Rabbinical Jewish the ...
in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation (later editions have Hebrew only, in one volume).
** ''Iggeroth haRambam'', in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
** ''T'shuvot haRambam'' (with either Rabbi Qafih's translations or summarizations), printed in Qafih's notes throughout the Mishneh Torah. These translations were posthumously collected and appended to the end of the reprint (Rubin Mass and Makhon Moshe, Jerusalem, 2014) of Blau's four-volume edition of Maimonides' Responsa.
* ''Ba'alei ha-Nefesh'' by
Ra'avad
Abraham ben David ( – 27 November 1198), also known by the abbreviation RABaD (for ''Rabbeinu'' Abraham ben David) Ravad or RABaD III, was a Provençal rabbi, a great commentator on the Talmud, ''Sefer Halachot'' of Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi and ' ...
with Sela' ha-Maḥloḳot of the רז"ה.
* Responsa and Rulings of Ra'avad (Hebrew: תשובות ופסקים לראב"ד).
* Questions and Responsa of the Ritva (Hebrew: שו"ת הריטב"א), Jerusalem, Mossad Harav Kook, 1978, edited with an introduction and notes.
* ''Maor Haafelah'' by Nethanel ben Isaiah, in original Arabic with accompanying Hebrew translation.
* Commentary on the Early Prophets by Avraham ben Shlomo, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation (in multiple volumes).
* ''Midrash Habeiur'', in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
* שאלות ר' חטר בן שלמה, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
ספר המעלות לדרגות ימות המשיח in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
* ''Kitāb al-Ḥaqāyiq - Sefer ha-Amitiyyuth'' (כתאב אלחקאיק - ספר האמתיות), in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
* Collected Papers (three volumes)
** Volume 1 (1989): ''Halacha'' nd ''Divrei Torah'' Philosophy, Sages' Writings. Among its contents the following are freely available online (from their original sources of publication):
** בירור בדין „הגונב את הקסוה" (originally published in 1983).
** על חודש תמוז (originally published in 1964).
** Responsa of Rabbeinu Jacob of Ramerupt (
Rabbeinu Tam
Jacob ben Meir (1100 – 9 June 1171 (4 Tammuz)), best known as Rabbeinu Tam ( he, רבינו תם), was one of the most renowned Ashkenazi Jewish rabbis and leading French Tosafists, a leading ''halakhic'' authority in his generation, and a gra ...
Sefer Yetzira
''Sefer Yetzirah'' ( ''Sēp̄er Yəṣīrā'', ''Book of Formation'', or ''Book of Creation'') is the title of a book on Jewish mysticism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed ...
''.
* המקרא ברמב"ם (index to the verses of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
in the Rambam).
* ''Halikhoth Teiman: Jewish Life in Sanà'' (first edition published in 1961; second edition in 1963; third edition in 1987 ). Posthumously, a repaginated and newly typeset edition has been published.
* ''Shivath Tsiyyon'' (1950s), a new edition of the
Baladi
Baladi ( ar, بلدي ' relative-adjective 'of town', 'local', 'rural', comparable to English ''folk'', with a lower-class connotation) can refer to an Egyptian musical style, the folk style of Egyptian bellydance (Raqs Baladi), or the Masmoud ...
Yemenite prayer book.
* Yemenite Passover Aggadta with four Yemenite commentaries, the Arabic among them translated into Hebrew.
* ''Siaḥ Yerushalayim'' (1993), the newest edition of the Baladi Yemenite
prayer book
A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...
.
* First published posthumously:
** Rabbi Yosef Kafiḥ's Notebook on the Plants of the Mishna (published by Dr.
Zohar Amar
Zohar Amar (born 1960) is a professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies at Bar-Ilan University, whose research specialties are: natural history in ancient times; the identification of the flora of the Land of Israel and identification ...
).
* קונדריס שיחת דקלים (published by Rabbi Dr. Uri Melammed).
** In volume 8 of Masorah L'Yosef: לתקופת הימים; a paper that Rabbi Yosef Kapach wrote about Rabbi Moshe Tsarum; and speeches for Bar Mitzvahs.
* Responsa of Rabbi Yosef Qafih (posthumously published):
** עדות ביהוסף (collected
beth din
A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...
rulings).
** שו"ת הריב"ד (with commentary by Rabbi Avraham Ḥamami) in multiple volumes.
** Responsa related to laws of family purity: appended to ''Taharath Moshe'' (2015) by Rabbi Tzfanya Arusi.
** ספר תשובות הרב קאפח (with extensive commentary by Rabbi Shalom Nagar) in multiple volumes.
Recorded Lectures
Posthumously, Machon Mishnat HaRambam has, to date, put out the following CDs (in
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...
format) with Rabbi Yosef Kapach's recorded lectures (Hebrew: שיעורים מפי הרה"ג יוסף קאפח):
* רס"ג
** הנבחר באמונות ובדעות (four CDs)
* רבנו בחיי
** תורת חובות הלבבות (five CDs)
* רבנו נתנאל בירב פיומי
** גן השכלים (two CDs)
* רמב"ם
** הקדמה לפירוש המשנה (one CD)
** פירוש המשנה
*** פירוש לפרק עשירי – מסכת סנהדרין - פרק "חלק" (one CD)
*** הקדמה למסכת אבות המכונה "שמונה פרקים" (one CD)
** מורה הנבוכים (eleven CDs)
** אגרות (one CD)
Based on the above, the following has been published in book form:
* Lectures of Rabbi Yosef Qafih:
** Volume 1: Maimonides' Introduction to the Mishnah Commentary
** Volume 2: Maimonides' Introduction to ''Perek Helek''
Awards and recognition
* In both 1962 and 1973, Qafiḥ was awarded the
Bialik Prize
The Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel, for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Israel's national poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik
Hayim Nahman Biali ...
for Jewish thought.
* In 1969, he was awarded the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
for Jewish studies. His wife,
Rabbanit
Rebbetzin ( yi, רביצין) or Rabbanit ( he, רַבָּנִית) is the title used for the wife of a rabbi—typically among Orthodox, Haredi, and Hasidic Jews—or for a female Torah scholar or teacher.
Etymology
The Yiddish word has a ...
Bracha Qafih, was also awarded the Israel Prize for her special contributions to society and the State in 1999, in recognition of her extensive charitable work (this was the only occasion on which a married couple have both been awarded the Israel Prize).
* Qafiḥ has also won the Rabbi Kook Prize, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by
Bar Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic i ...
.
Further reading
* Avivit Levi, הולך תמים: מורשתו, חייו ופועלו של הרב יוסף קאפח (Hebrew; ''Holekh Tamim: The Legacy, Life and Work of Rabbi Yosef Qafih''), 2003.
* Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper, ''The Contribution of Rabbi Yosef Qāfiḥ to the Knowledge of Yemenite Material Culture: A Personal Account'' in Tema (Journal of Judeo-Yemenite Studies), #8 (Netanya, 2004), p. 15-24.
* Y. Tzvi Langermann, "Mori Yusuf": Rabbi Yosef Kafah (Qāfiḥ) (1917–2000) ' in Aleph (Historical Studies in Science & Judaism), #1 (2001), p. 333-340.
* Y. Tzvi Langermann, Rabbi Yosef Qafih's Modern Medieval Translation of the Guide ' i (2019), p. 257-278.
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
*
List of Bialik Prize recipients
The Bialik Prize is an annual literary award given by the municipality of Tel Aviv, Israel, for significant accomplishments in Hebrew literature. The prize is named in memory of Israel's national poet Hayyim Nahman Bialik
Hayim Nahman Biali ...
References
External links
The Friedberg Jewish Manuscript Society s Judeo-Arabic Corpus (accessible with free login) makes available the body of numerous Judeo-Arabic works translated and published by Rabbi Qafih (sans independent Hebrew material like editor introductions), with a choice of viewing the original page images alongside a transcription of the printed Arabic text–the latter of which is fully searchable through the website.