Yosef Qafiḥ (Hebrew: יוסף קאפח pronounced [josef qafiħ], Arabic: يوسف القافح), widely known as Rabbi Yosef Kapach (27 November 1917 – 21 July 2000), was a Yemenite-Israeli authority on Jewish religious law (halakha), a dayan of the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Israel, and one of the foremost leaders of the Yemenite Jewish community in Israel, where he was sought after by non-Yemenites as well.

[1][2] He is widely known for his editions and translations of the works of Maimonides, Saadia Gaon, and other early rabbinic authorities (Rishonim), particularly his restoration of the Mishneh Torah from old Yemenite manuscripts and his accompanying commentary culled from close to 300 additional commentators[3] and with original insights.

[6] The Imam, Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, 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 Saleh (Tzadok) in the same year of his grandfather's passing.

The prime place in his oeuvre is reserved for the writings of Maimonides: he translated the Guide for the Perplexed, Commentary on the Mishnah, Sefer Hamitzvot, letters, and Beiur M'lekhet HaHiggayon, and he edited a 24-volume set of the Mishneh Torah (posthumously divided into 25).

[13] Qafih wrote extensively about the heritage of Yemenite Jews, describing in his sefer, “Halichot Teman”, the Jewish life in Yemen, eclipsing even the renowned works of Amram Qorah and ethnographer, Yaakov Sapir.

Examples of English translations based on his bilingual (Hebrew/Arabic) editions include Saadia on Job by Dr. Lenn E. Goodman,[16][17] Professor of Philosophy and Jewish Studies, and Maimonides' Sefer Hamitzvot[18] by Rabbi Berel Bell, Dayan of Kehilas Lubavitch on the Beth Din of Montreal and the founding dean of Chaya Mushka Seminary.

Among these works, the following has been published: Of note is an index volume of sorts, Lanhotam (Hebrew title: לַנְחֹתָם דרך 'משנה תורה')[26] by Yosi Seri, which is a reference guide for learners of the Mishneh Torah with Rabbi Qafih's commentary.

[33] Close to 10 volumes of the Masorah L'Yosef journal have been published[34] 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,[35] From Yemen to Israel (Hebrew: מתימן לישראל),[36] and דברי שלום ואמת.