Yosef Qafih
Encyclopedia
Yosef Qafih widely known as Rabbi Kapach (27 November 1917 – 21 July 2000), was one of the foremost leaders of the Yemenite Jewish
community, first in Yemen
and later in Israel
. He was the grandson of Rabbi Yihhyah Qafahh
, also a prominent Yemenite leader and grandson of the founder of the Dor Deah
(anti-Kabbalah
) movement in Yemen. He is principally known for his editions and translations of the works of Maimonides
and other early rabbinic authorities, primarily his restoration of the Mishneh Torah
from old manuscripts.
. His father was Rabbi David Qafih. The Kabbalists in Yemen told the Muslim authorities that his father and grandfather were plotting against them; the two were arrested along with several of the founding circle of Dor Daim
. The Kabbalists paid the Yemeni police who held them in prison to beat them severely, and after they were released a wound that Rabbi David received in his belly festered. He died when his son was one year old. At the age of five Rabbi Yosef lost his mother, and was raised by and learned Torah with his grandfather Rabbi Yihhyah Qafahh
. When Yosef was 14 his grandfather died and he inherited his position as rabbinic authority and teacher of the Sana’a community. At the age of 15 Kabbalist enemies of his grandfather informed the authorities that there was a Jewish orphan which by Yemeni law could be forcibly converted to Islam
; only the intervention of the king of Yemen saved him, by granting him a legal loophole: he married his 11 year old cousin. In his early years he worked as a silversmith.
In 1943 he immigrated to
Palestine
, studied at the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva
and qualified as a dayan at the Harry Fischel Institute. In 1950 he was appointed as a dayan in the Jerusalem district court, and later was appointed as a dayan at the Supreme Rabbinical Court. He was a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, and presided over the Yemenite community in Jerusalem, as well as spreading Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook's teachings among the Israeli Sephardi populace. He died on 21 July 2000 at the age of 82.
Rishonim
, including the Emunot ve-Deot
of Saadia Gaon
, the Kuzari
by Judah ha-Levi, the Duties of the Heart by Bahya ibn Pakuda and many other works in Judaeo-Arabic. The prime place in his oeuvre is reserved for the writings of Maimonides: he translated the Guide for the Perplexed
, the Commentary on the Mishnah
and the Sefer Hamitzvot
and edited a 24-volume set of the Mishneh Torah
. His works and translations received recognition from the academic world.
He wrote and studied extensively on the heritage of Yemenite Jews. He published a book under the title of “Halichot Teman”, and edited the “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 “Siach Yerushalayim” in four volumes (most other editions now have six). Qafih identified with the Dor Dai
tendency, except that he did not publicly express opposition to the Zohar
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.
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews are those Jews who live, or whose recent ancestors lived, in Yemen . Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet...
community, first in Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and later in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He was the grandson of Rabbi Yihhyah Qafahh
Yihhyah Qafahh
Yiḥyah Qafiḥ served as the Chief Rabbi of Sana'a, Yemen in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
, also a prominent Yemenite leader and grandson of the founder of the Dor Deah
Dor Daim
The Dardaim or Dor daim , are adherents of the Dor Deah movement in Judaism. That movement was founded in 19th century Yemen by Rabbi Yiḥyah Qafiḥ, and had its own network of synagogues and schools.Its objects were:...
(anti-Kabbalah
Kabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
) movement in Yemen. He is principally known for his editions and translations of the works of Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
and other early rabbinic authorities, primarily his restoration of the Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
from old manuscripts.
Biography
Qafih was born in (27 November 1917) in Sana’a in YemenYemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. His father was Rabbi David Qafih. The Kabbalists in Yemen told the Muslim authorities that his father and grandfather were plotting against them; the two were arrested along with several of the founding circle of Dor Daim
Dor Daim
The Dardaim or Dor daim , are adherents of the Dor Deah movement in Judaism. That movement was founded in 19th century Yemen by Rabbi Yiḥyah Qafiḥ, and had its own network of synagogues and schools.Its objects were:...
. The Kabbalists paid the Yemeni police who held them in prison to beat them severely, and after they were released a wound that Rabbi David received in his belly festered. He died when his son was one year old. At the age of five Rabbi Yosef lost his mother, and was raised by and learned Torah with his grandfather Rabbi Yihhyah Qafahh
Yihhyah Qafahh
Yiḥyah Qafiḥ served as the Chief Rabbi of Sana'a, Yemen in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
. When Yosef was 14 his grandfather died and he inherited his position as rabbinic authority and teacher of the Sana’a community. At the age of 15 Kabbalist enemies of his grandfather informed the authorities that there was a Jewish orphan which by Yemeni law could be forcibly converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
; only the intervention of the king of Yemen saved him, by granting him a legal loophole: he married his 11 year old cousin. In his early years he worked as a silversmith.
In 1943 he immigrated to
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, studied at the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
and qualified as a dayan at the Harry Fischel Institute. In 1950 he was appointed as a dayan in the Jerusalem district court, and later was appointed as a dayan at the Supreme Rabbinical Court. He was a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, and presided over the Yemenite community in Jerusalem, as well as spreading Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook's teachings among the Israeli Sephardi populace. He died on 21 July 2000 at the age of 82.
Scholarship
His main work in the field of Torah literature was his translation and publication of manuscripts of numerous works by SephardicSephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
Rishonim
Rishonim
"Rishon" redirects here. For the preon model in particle physics, see Harari Rishon Model. For the Israeli town, see Rishon LeZion.Rishonim were the leading Rabbis and Poskim who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulkhan Arukh and...
, including the Emunot ve-Deot
Emunoth ve-Deoth
Emunoth ve-Deoth or Emunoth w'D'oth written by Rabbi Saadia Gaon - originally Kitāb ul-ʾamānāt wal-iʿtiqādāt - was the first systematic presentation and philosophic foundation of the dogmas of Judaism. The work is prefaced by an introduction and has ten chapters; it was completed in 933...
of Saadia Gaon
Saadia Gaon
Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon was a prominent rabbi, Jewish philosopher, and exegete of the Geonic period.The first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Arabic, he is considered the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature...
, the Kuzari
Kuzari
The Kitab al Khazari, commonly called the Kuzari, is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, completed around 1140. Its title is an Arabic phrase meaning Book of the Khazars...
by Judah ha-Levi, the Duties of the Heart by Bahya ibn Pakuda and many other works in Judaeo-Arabic. The prime place in his oeuvre is reserved for the writings of Maimonides: he translated the Guide for the Perplexed
Guide for the Perplexed
The Guide for the Perplexed is one of the major works of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or "the Rambam"...
, the Commentary on the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
and the Sefer Hamitzvot
Sefer Hamitzvot
Sefer Hamitzvot 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 modifier refers to Maimonides' work...
and edited a 24-volume set of the Mishneh Torah
Mishneh Torah
The Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
. His works and translations received recognition from the academic world.
He wrote and studied extensively on the heritage of Yemenite Jews. He published a book under the title of “Halichot Teman”, and edited the “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 “Siach Yerushalayim” in four volumes (most other editions now have six). Qafih identified with the Dor Dai
Dor Daim
The Dardaim or Dor daim , are adherents of the Dor Deah movement in Judaism. That movement was founded in 19th century Yemen by Rabbi Yiḥyah Qafiḥ, and had its own network of synagogues and schools.Its objects were:...
tendency, except that he did not publicly express opposition to the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the 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 and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
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.
Awards
- In both 1962 and 1973, Qafih was awarded the Bialik PrizeBialik PrizeThe 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 Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...
for Jewish thought. - In 1969, he was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for Jewish studies. His wife, RabbanitRebbetzinRebbitzin or Rabbanit is the title used for the wife of a rabbi, typically from the Orthodox, or Haredi, and Hasidic Jewish groups...
Bracha Qafiḥ, 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.
Published works
- Mishneh TorahMishneh TorahThe Mishneh Torah subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka is a code of Jewish religious law authored by Maimonides , one of history's foremost rabbis...
of the Rambam, corrected according to ancient Yemenite manuscripts, with his own commentary. - Sefer HamitzvotSefer HamitzvotSefer Hamitzvot 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 modifier refers to Maimonides' work...
from original Arabic. - Iggeroth haRambam, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation.
- MaimonidesMaimonidesMoses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
' Commentary on the MishnahMishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
, in original Arabic with facing Hebrew translation (later editions have Hebrew only). - Biur Malekhet haHigayion, the first essay Maimonides wrote on the logic of language and grammar.
- Halichot Teiman: Jewish Life in Sana, Jerusalem 1963
- Sefer KuzariKuzariThe Kitab al Khazari, commonly called the Kuzari, is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, completed around 1140. Its title is an Arabic phrase meaning Book of the Khazars...
in original Arabic with a new translation into modern Hebrew. - Emunot ve-DeotEmunoth ve-DeothEmunoth ve-Deoth or Emunoth w'D'oth written by Rabbi Saadia Gaon - originally Kitāb ul-ʾamānāt wal-iʿtiqādāt - was the first systematic presentation and philosophic foundation of the dogmas of Judaism. The work is prefaced by an introduction and has ten chapters; it was completed in 933...
in original Arabic with a new translation into modern Hebrew, as well as Saadiah's commentary to the Bible.. - Guide for the PerplexedGuide for the PerplexedThe Guide for the Perplexed is one of the major works of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or "the Rambam"...
in original Arabic with a new translation into modern Hebrew. - Duties of the HeartChovot ha-LevavotChovot HaLevavot or Ḥovot HaLebabot, , is the primary work of the Jewish philosopher Bahya ibn Paquda, full name Bahya ben Joseph ibn Pakuda...
in original Arabic with a new translation into modern Hebrew. - Shivat Tzion (1950s), a new edition of the Baladi Yemenite prayer bookSiddurA siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as it is known today has developed...
. - Siach Yerushalayim (1993), the newest edition of the Baladi Yemenite prayer bookSiddurA siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as it is known today has developed...
. - Responsa of Rabbenu Yom Tov Ben Abraham Al-IshbiliYom Tov AsevilliYom Tov ben Avraham Asevilli , commonly known by the Hebrew acronym as the Ritva, was a medieval rabbi and Halakhist famous for his commentary on the Talmud. The name "Asevilli" is a Hebrew rendering of the Arabic Isbili, meaning "from Seville".Asevilli was born in Seville, Spain in 1250 where he...
(Ritva) Jerusalem, Mossad Harav Kook, 1978, edited with an introduction and notes by Qafih - Gan HaSikhlim by Rabbeinu Nethanel Beirav Fiumi which includes three essays on Philosophy and Ethics.
- Sefer haYetzira. This is the ORIGINAL and CORRECT version of the Tannaic Mishna, as preserved by Rav Saadya Gaon, and it includes the Gaon's ORIGINAL and CORRECT commentary in Arabic, translated into Hebrew by Rav Yussef Qafih.
- Translations into Hebrew of Rav Saadya Gaon's Arabic translation and commentary on the five Books of Moses, Tehilim, Yov, Mishley, Daniel, the Meguilot, and a translation of his Emunot v'Deot.
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients
- List of Bialik Prize recipientsBialik PrizeThe 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 Hayyim Nahman Bialik. There are two separate prizes, one specifically for "Literature", which is in the field of fiction,...