This week when we celebrate Juneteenth Day, a day to mark the end of slavery in the United States and to celebrate Black culture, seems an especially good time to raise up the Cushite woman mentioned in this week’s parasha. This woman, identified as Moses’ wife, is unnamed. She could be the wife we know Moses married before the liberation from Egypt, Tziporah. But whoever she is, we know that she is Cushite and that Miriam and Aaron object to Moses’ marriage to her. (Num 12: 1-2) Cush is the biblical name for Ethiopia, so it is surmised that this woman was Black. While we are not told why Moses’ siblings object to this union, it seems likely they were concerned about interracial marriage. God becomes angry with their rebuke and punishes them. (Num. 12: 4-10) God’s response teaches us that discrimination based on race/ethnicity/nationality is not acceptable and something we must work to end.
Kenosha’s interfaith justice organization, CUSH, chose its acronym for “Congregations United to Serve Humanity” in order to carry a biblical name that made a statement that minorities would be represented and served by this organization. CUSH continues to work on issues that serve vulnerable groups in our community, including Blacks, immigrants, and LGBTQ individuals.
-Rabbi Dena A. Feingold
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