Scholarship
His main work in the field of Torah literature was his translation and publication of manuscripts of numerous works by Sephardic 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 “Siaḥ Yerushalayim” in four volumes (most other editions now have six). Qafiḥ 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.
Read more about this topic: Yosef Qafih
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