In this week’s parsha, Miriam criticizes Moses, apparently related to a “Cushite woman he had married” (Num. 12:1)- presumably Zipporah (the only wife of Moses mentioned in the Torah). One might think that a “Cushite” is apparently an African of some sort. But we know that Zipporah is the daughter of Jethro, a Midianite. What’s up with that?
Artscroll is surprisingly unhelpful, suggesting that it is common to “attach a derogatory epithet to a loved one in order to prevent [the evil eye, i.e.]... envy.” But the suggestion that the phrase “Cushite” is "derogatory" is either racist or makes Miriam seem like one. Artscroll’s commentator should have made it clearer which side he is on- does he really think it is "Cushite" is a "derogatory epithet"? That’s not nice. [Or does he think Miriam was (in modern terms) racist?]*
Surprisingly, the Conservative Etz Chaim is much more helpful. Etz Chaim points out that Cushan is a Midianite tribe named in Habbakuk- “hence some sages’ view that the woman is Zipporah.” Etz Chaim kills two birds with one stone here. First, it explains how a “Cushite” can be a Midianite without resorting to racism or superstition. Second, it implies the possibility that maybe the woman is not Zipporah- that Moses had a second wife, which removes the entire difficulty. Etz Chaim may lose the forest for the trees sometimes- but here it does pretty well with the trees!
But Artscroll’s insensitivity reminds me that, much as I loathe loony-left political correctness, it does combat real ills. There is honest to goodness racism, and sometimes it is simply not as blatant as calling someone an N-word. And because there is so much thinly veiled racism [and for that matter anti-Semitism] I don’t think it makes sense to limit our criticism of such behavior to the most blatant examples.
*Also, the point about envy is nonsense. What likelihood is there that readers 3300 years later will be overly envious of Zipporah’s beauty?
Posted by conservadox
at 2:53 AM EDT
