The Translation of Rabbi Yosef Qafih

(“Mori Yusuf)Tzvi Langermann

Bar Ilan

Biographical Highlights• Born 1917, San‘a, Yemen• Raised by grandfather, leader of

“Darda‘im”• 1943 relocates to Jerusalem, study in

Yeshivat Merkaz haRav & Harry Fischel Institute

• 1950 begins judicial career• Author of over 40 books, mostly

bilingual editions of Judaeo-Arabic texts

Rabbi Yihye Qafih

Principal Contributions of the Notes to Rav Kafih’s Translation

• Cross-References within the entire Maimonidean corpus

• Numerous suggestions of a subtle Maimonidean response to Saadya Gaon (who is, of course, never mentioned by name in the Guide)

“...our rabbi Saadya Gaon’s influence on Maimonides [rabbeinu] was very powerful, and from different directions, because already in the household of R. Maimon, Saadya and his teaching were held in very high esteem … at times Maimonides adopted Saadya’s ideas, even expanding them, taking them further, and shoring them up; at other times, he criticizes them severely … and there are yet other instances where Saadya and the very fact of his taking up an issue stimulated Maimonides to deal with the same issue, according to his own method, system, and temperament (midda) … all of this without ever mentioning Saadya by name, not even once. Instead he referred simply to “one of the geonim”, “someone who preceded me”, and the like, by way of “everyone knows [to whom I referring]”.  [p 14]

Maimonides responds to Saadya

• I, 40, legitimate parsing of Isaiah 'מי תכן את רוח ה ,40:13

• I, 67, interpretation of verses appertaining to God’s “resting” on the Sabbath: וינח ביום השביעי; שבת וינפש

• III, 12, severe critique of al-Rāzī on preponderance of evil is smokescreen; real target is Saadya

Critique of Ibn Tibbon1) not well versed in philosophy, didn’t

understand the issues very well, but improved over time

2) Arabic was limited to his study of Arabic medical texts

Willing to pay Ibn Tibbon a compement

From III, 30, describing the origins of the astrolatry, which was instituted at the behest of—

עלמאהם, ונסאכהם, ואהל אלתקוי מנהם

—the suffixed pronoun referring to the people of those times

ואהל אלתקוי מנהם

תרגומו של הרב קאפח "וחסידיהם"•אבל בהערה על אתר רשם: "בר"ש 'ויראי חטא •

מהם' ותרגום נאה"•Context clearly indicates that fear of

sin, not fear of God, applies here•Prof Pines “men of piety”•S Munk “pieux”פרופ' שוורץ "בעלי הוראה"•

Translation method“As for my translation, [I began it only] after I had

studied the book several times. Indeed, when I sat before my grandfather when I was very young, I heard his explanations when he taught the best of his students; they studied it in the Arabic original, and he explained it as need be. When I prepared my own copy, I asked him more than once about the meaning of one thing or another. Now again I have gone over it more than once. After I established for myself the correct reading of the original, as given above, I translated the whole thing without looking at the earlier translations so as not to be influenced by their understanding, and thus not be able to understand that which I am capable of understanding freely ….

Translation Method (continued)After I completed the translation I went over it

again, this time in close comparison to the original, for the purpose of testing and checking. Then I reviewed it once more without the original in order to see if it can be read without roadblocks and other difficulties in the sentence structure

Sometimes, when the translator reads his translation together with the original, and the sentences of the original are ordered in his mind, he is unable to sense the difficulty in the translation. For this reason I reviewed it again without referring to the original. Wherever I encountered difficulties of any sort that could be readily corrected, I consulted the original and corrected as best as possible.

Translation method (end)Only after this did I compare my translation with

that of my predecessors, R. Shmuel ben R. Yehuda Ibn Tibbon and R. Yehuda al-Harizi. Wherever I found a discrepancy in understanding our author, I examined and checked the original once again, and corrected whatever I saw fit to correct; but wherever both my rendering and that of R. Shmuel seemed equally possible, I cited R. Shmuel’s words in my footnotes. Occasionally I did find that R. Shmuel had a better way of expressing it than I did, in which case I rejected my translation and inserted that of R. Shmuel. For my entire purpose was only to present our author’s words to the reader in the most correct and precise manner.

“Reverse Translation” using Saadya

III, 8 כמא בין פי אלאשקיא פי אנהמאכהם פי"אלאכל ואלשרב ואלנכאח"

"כמו שנתבאר בחטאים השטופים במאכל ובמשתה ובתשמיש"

: "אשקיא" תרגמתי "חטאים" בעקבות רס"ג 38הע' בפירושו לפסוק "והייתי אני ובני שלמה חטאים" ...

ובר"ש ]רבי שמואל אבן תבון[ "רשעים". Cf. Harizi translating שנאעה by דבה.

Major correction to previous—and later—translations

• From Guide II, 30:אמא אן כון ד'לך אלד'י פוק אלרקיע סמי מאא פי

אלאסמיה פקט לא אנה הד'א אלמא אלנועי פקד קאלוה אלחכמים ז"ל פי קולהם ארבעה

נכנסו לפרדס וגו' אמר להם ר' עקיבה כשאתם מגיעין לאבני שיש טהור אל תאמרו מים מים

שכך כתוב דובר שקרים לא יכון לנגד עיני

and, in my own translation…

But as for that which is above the raqi‘a: it is called “water” in name only. It is not this specific water. The Sages of blessed memory have already stated this when they said, “Four entered the orchard [paradise], etc.; Rabbi Aqivah said to them, ‘When you reach the pure marble stones, do not say “Water! Water!”, for it says, “A liar cannot stand firnly before My eyes.”’”

and then this clincher:פאעתבר אן כנת מן אהל אלאעתבאר כם בין בהד'ה

אלקולה וכיף כשף אלאמר כלה אד'א תאמלת ותטלעת עלי תברהן פי אלאת'ארופהמת כל מא

כל מא קאלת אלנאס פי כל שי מנהאConsider, if you one of the people who do

consider, how much he has clarified in this statement, and how the matter in its entirety has been revealed, provided that you contemplated and understood everything that has been … and you have gained insight into everything people ….

תברהן פי אלאת'אר•Rav Qafih: כל מה שהוכח בדברי

חכמים

•All the rest “demonstrated” or “proven” in [Aristotle’s book known as] the Meteorology, except Harizi, who has מאותותהחכמה

MY COMMENTS ON: תברהן פי אלאת'אר

• In Arabic literature, Al-athār by itself NEVER refers to Aristotle’s Meteorology

• It is the expectation or anticipation that Maimonides must be referring to Aristotle when he speaks of “secrets” that led to this mistranslation

• Burhān or tabarhana need not always refer to “Aristotelian” proof

One example for barhana not meaning syllogistic proof (Guide III, 23)

וד'לך אנה ]איוב[ רג'ע ען הד'א אלראי אלד'י הו גאיה' אלגלט וברהן עלי גלטה פיה", ובתרגומו של מארי, "לפי שהוא חזר מהשקפה זו והוכיח

את טעותו בה"."ברהן" שתוך הויכוח המחקרי הוכח שם, בהערה:

לו בהוכחות מחשבתיות שטעה בהנחותיו ואפשר "ופרסם".

)1( שנאעה

ח"ב פי"ד, הטיעון לפני האחרון של הפילוסופים נגד חידוש העולם (עמ' שיד): " ואיצ'א עלי גהה'

אלתשניע אנהם יקולון, כיף כאן אלאלאה עז וג'ל עטאלא לם יעמל שיא בוג'ה …."

)2( שנאעהח"ב פט"ז, סופו ממש של הפרק, בענין הדרך להכריע בין קדמות

העולם ובין חידוש העולם (עמ' שכ): "ובין אן כמא תלזמנא אשד שנאעה מא פי אעתקאד אלחדות' כד'לך תלזם שנאעה

מנהא פי אעתקאד אלקדם"

Avoidance of Hebrew neologismsח"ג, פכ"ד: פיעתמד ד'לך כל טאלב ויטלב מן •

אלאעתקאדאת מא ית'בת הד'א אלת'באת לא ילתפת מעה למתחד במעג'ז ...

תרגומו: ואז ישען על כך כל דורש אמת, ויחפש מן •הדעותאשר יציבותו כיציבות הזו, ואין לפנות עמה

למתפאר במופת: "למתחד" התרגום היותר מדוייק 19שם, הע' •

"למתימר" הדבק בטענה בלתי נכונה. והעדפתי לתרגם "מתפאר" כדי שלא להשתמש בבטוים

חדשים.

Use of Hebrew Neologisms

ח"ג, פכ"ה, "אלמד'הולין"•הרב קאפח: התמהוניים•אבן תבון: הנבהלים•les distraitsשלמה מונק: • the inattentive פרופ' פינס:• הנבוכים פרופ' שוורץ:•

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