Cushi
Encyclopedia
The word Cushi, also spelled Kushi is a Hebrew term generally used to refer to a dark skinned person usually of African descent
and was recently interpreted as being similar in meaning to the English
word Negro
. Initially, the word was used by Hebrew-speaking Jews
to simply refer to individuals of African origin, or as a term of endearment for people with dark skin as in the case of Cushi Rimon.
(Today's Sudan
, and practically the entire southern Egypt
, though some scholars point to the Beta Israel
Ethiopian Jewry as remnants of the 'Cushite' tribe). In Biblical literature, Cush was the eldest son of Ham
, the son of Noah
. Canaan
, the other son of Ham, was cursed by Noah: "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren." (Book of Genesis 9:25).
The book of Numbers
(12:1), tells the story of Miriam and Aaron
, the brother of Moses
, who are gossiping about him, "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married
; for he had married a Cushite woman", something that was not acceptable among the Israelites. Most likely, Miriam and Aaron did not object to Moses marriage because of her supposed dark skin color. The idea that Miriam and Aaron objected to Moses marriage from a Kushite woman because of her skin color is not based on a reasonable explanation. The most famous of the Jewish commentators on the Bible
, the Talmudic scholar, Rashi
, has offered a different commentary from the pshat
, saying: "Scripture teaches that everyone acknowledged her beauty just as everyone acknowledges a Cushite’s blackness". and strengthens his word by saying: "Cushite, Its numerical (Gematria
) value is equal to beautiful in appearance". However, this passage does not contradict that it was considered unacceptable to marry a Cushite but simply contains an oblique implication that Cushites were very 'Black' or dark.
The Book of Amos
makes reference to them: "Are you not like the children of the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel
? says the Lord" (Book of Amos 9:7). Israel is being compared with the Cushites, which can be seen as either as positive for the Cushites, or negative for Israel. The underlying issue is that Israel is now on par with the Cushites as a result of Israel's disobedience.
According to the Hebrew bible, the word appeared as כשיים,pronounced 'hushihim', and was related to the loanword hushi כשי.
One famous coined phrase makes use of the "Cushi" word in Modern Israeli Hebrew, quoting from the bible, "Will a Cushi change his skin or a leopard change his spots?" (Book of Jeremiah
13:23), in order to describe a reality that can not change.
ed person, as King David was red headed: was of ruddy complexion and his face which was on his head was ruddy not his hair as is written in Book of Samuel; and as per wisdom of Tree of Life the sephiroth Keter is connected to head which does not discriminate between hair and face; so if somebody writes his head was red means his face was ruddy(his face like other faces was included in his head and it was his face which was ruddy or red like). Other words were used to describe dark skin as a pejorative term, for example, the word "Schwartz" , taken from its similar meaning in the Yiddish language –- black
. In the last decades of the 20th century, the word "Cushi" became a racist slur, some claim as a result of the identification of its terms in English, "Nigger
" and "Negro". However, this scenario has never been proven.
The negative changes in the meaning of the term "Cushi" was seen in many companies retagging themselves in the Israeli Market. The well known made-in-Israel cheese "Cushi" was renamed "Ushi" as well as the Israeli "Krembo
" (Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats) that in the initial distribution was named "Cushi".
In an Israeli Court verdict that dealt with a bus driver calling a security guard in a university "Cushi", Judge Yitzhak Milnov wrote the following words:
Other terms include Cushim (plural), Cushites (biblical plural). In English: "Kush" or "Cush" (in its various declensions) is derived from the same biblical origin.
Cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations...
and was recently interpreted as being similar in meaning to the English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
word Negro
Negro
The word Negro is used in the English-speaking world to refer to a person of black ancestry or appearance, whether of African descent or not...
. Initially, the word was used by Hebrew-speaking Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
to simply refer to individuals of African origin, or as a term of endearment for people with dark skin as in the case of Cushi Rimon.
Etymology
"Cush" is the name of an ancient ethnic group who come from the land of CushBiblical Cush
Cush was the eldest son of Ham, brother of Mizraim , Canaan and the father of Nimrod, and Raamah, mentioned in the "Table of Nations" in the Genesis 10:6 and I Chronicles 1:8...
(Today's Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, and practically the entire southern Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, though some scholars point to the Beta Israel
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
Ethiopian Jewry as remnants of the 'Cushite' tribe). In Biblical literature, Cush was the eldest son of Ham
Ham
Ham is a cut of meat from the thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especiallypigs. Nearly all hams sold today are fully cooked or cured.-Etymology:...
, the son of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
. Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
, the other son of Ham, was cursed by Noah: "Cursed be Canaan; he shall be a slave among slaves to his brethren." (Book of Genesis 9:25).
The book of Numbers
Book of Numbers
The Book of Numbers is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah/Pentateuch....
(12:1), tells the story of Miriam and Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
, the brother of Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
, who are gossiping about him, "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married
Tharbis
A Cushite princess of Cush, Tharbis married the Hebrew Moses prior to his ascendancy to prophethood and better-known marriage to Zipporah.Tharbis is alleged to have been the daughter of King Merops, or the widow of Kikianus....
; for he had married a Cushite woman", something that was not acceptable among the Israelites. Most likely, Miriam and Aaron did not object to Moses marriage because of her supposed dark skin color. The idea that Miriam and Aaron objected to Moses marriage from a Kushite woman because of her skin color is not based on a reasonable explanation. The most famous of the Jewish commentators on the Bible
Jewish commentaries on the Bible
This article describes the first printing of the Hebrew Bible with major Jewish commentaries, notes concerning translations into Aramaic and English, lists some universally accepted Jewish commentaries with notes on their method of approach and lists modern translations into English with notes.-...
, the Talmudic scholar, Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
, has offered a different commentary from the pshat
Peshat
Peshat is one of four classical methods of Jewish biblical exegesis used by Rabbis and Jewish bible scholars in reading the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh. Peshat is part of a group of exegetical methods known together as Pardes...
, saying: "Scripture teaches that everyone acknowledged her beauty just as everyone acknowledges a Cushite’s blackness". and strengthens his word by saying: "Cushite, Its numerical (Gematria
Gematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
) value is equal to beautiful in appearance". However, this passage does not contradict that it was considered unacceptable to marry a Cushite but simply contains an oblique implication that Cushites were very 'Black' or dark.
The Book of Amos
Book of Amos
The Book of Amos is a prophetic book of the Hebrew Bible, one of the Twelve Minor Prophets. Amos, an older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, was active c. 750 BCE during the reign of Jeroboam II, making the Book of Amos the first biblical prophetic book written. Amos lived in the kingdom of Judah...
makes reference to them: "Are you not like the children of the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
? says the Lord" (Book of Amos 9:7). Israel is being compared with the Cushites, which can be seen as either as positive for the Cushites, or negative for Israel. The underlying issue is that Israel is now on par with the Cushites as a result of Israel's disobedience.
According to the Hebrew bible, the word appeared as כשיים,pronounced 'hushihim', and was related to the loanword hushi כשי.
One famous coined phrase makes use of the "Cushi" word in Modern Israeli Hebrew, quoting from the bible, "Will a Cushi change his skin or a leopard change his spots?" (Book of Jeremiah
Book of Jeremiah
The Book of Jeremiah is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, following the book of Isaiah and preceding Ezekiel and the Book of the Twelve....
13:23), in order to describe a reality that can not change.
Terminology
Initially in Modern Israeli Hebrew, the term "Cushi" was not used as a pejorative term. At times, it was even used to refer fondly to a person of dark skin or a red hairRed hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
ed person, as King David was red headed: was of ruddy complexion and his face which was on his head was ruddy not his hair as is written in Book of Samuel; and as per wisdom of Tree of Life the sephiroth Keter is connected to head which does not discriminate between hair and face; so if somebody writes his head was red means his face was ruddy(his face like other faces was included in his head and it was his face which was ruddy or red like). Other words were used to describe dark skin as a pejorative term, for example, the word "Schwartz" , taken from its similar meaning in the Yiddish language –- black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
. In the last decades of the 20th century, the word "Cushi" became a racist slur, some claim as a result of the identification of its terms in English, "Nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
" and "Negro". However, this scenario has never been proven.
The negative changes in the meaning of the term "Cushi" was seen in many companies retagging themselves in the Israeli Market. The well known made-in-Israel cheese "Cushi" was renamed "Ushi" as well as the Israeli "Krembo
Krembo
Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats are produced in different variations around the world, with several countries claiming to have invented it or hailing it as their "national confection." The first chocolate-coated marshmallow treat was created about 200 years ago in Denmark.-Chocolate teacake:In...
" (Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats) that in the initial distribution was named "Cushi".
In an Israeli Court verdict that dealt with a bus driver calling a security guard in a university "Cushi", Judge Yitzhak Milnov wrote the following words:
Other terms include Cushim (plural), Cushites (biblical plural). In English: "Kush" or "Cush" (in its various declensions) is derived from the same biblical origin.
See also
- Cushitic languagesCushitic languagesThe Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
- Biblical CushBiblical CushCush was the eldest son of Ham, brother of Mizraim , Canaan and the father of Nimrod, and Raamah, mentioned in the "Table of Nations" in the Genesis 10:6 and I Chronicles 1:8...
, Kingdom of KushKingdom of KushThe native name of the Kingdom was likely kaš, recorded in Egyptian as .The name Kash is probably connected to Cush in the Hebrew Bible , son of Ham .... - Yemenite JewsYemenite JewsYemenite 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...
- Beta IsraelBeta IsraelBeta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
(Ethiopian Jews, Sometimes called "Jews of Kush") - The African Hebrew Israelites of Jerusalem (Black Hebrews - Kushim Ivriim)
- Black Hebrew IsraelitesBlack Hebrew IsraelitesBlack Hebrew Israelites are groups of people mostly of Black African ancestry situated mainly in the United States who believe they are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Black Hebrews adhere in varying degrees to the religious beliefs and practices of mainstream Judaism...
- Cushi Rimon