Who Was the 'Cushite Woman' According to Jewish Sages?

The Torah commands us: "Remember what Hashem did to Miriam!"

What was Miriam's act? Many of us remember: Miriam spoke with Aaron about the "Cushite woman" whom Moses had married. Her words were seen as a slight against Moses, and for this, Miriam was punished with leprosy.

We cannot fully grasp Miriam's error or Moses' exalted stature as described in the Torah. As it says, "Why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?" We merely wish to explore the interpretation of "the Cushite woman" according to the sages.

What's the issue?

The problem is that nowhere in the Torah is Moses said to have married a Cushite woman. In fact, he is depicted as marrying Zipporah the Midianite, and with Jethro, his father-in-law, appearing during the revelation, Moses then journeyed with the Israelites through the desert. When, exactly, could he have taken a "Cushite woman"? The land of Cush was far away, beyond the African landscape.

Therefore, the sages explain that the Cushite woman is indeed Zipporah, the Midianite.

There were scholars who did not take the words of the sages seriously, as it is human nature, when lacking faith, to only believe what the eyes can see. If it says Cushite woman, so he must have had a Cushite woman.

Yet slowly, with research advancements, scholars encounter more and more data, often discovering upon deeper study that the words of the sages are straightforward. Sometimes it's not through research that these truths are revealed, which is why our faith in the sages is vital, as their words are firmly planted, even if we do not comprehend them entirely.

In 1926, the German Egyptologist Kurt Sethe, during excavations in the Egyptian fortress city of Mirgissa, found a large number of pottery shards. These contained mentions of various nations and tribes, their names accompanied by curses. It appears to have been an Egyptian warfare tactic – to write the name of a people, add a curse, and toss it into a pit. These writings were called "curse tablets," and more such shards have been found over time.

The Egyptians practiced this for war victory, but for us, these writings provide knowledge about the peoples surrounding Egypt, who they fought against. Sometimes, the Egyptians kindly painted the likeness of the tribe they wanted to defeat on the shards, adding to our knowledge.

Sometimes, they listed a sequence of places in geographic order, making it easy for us to identify whom they referred to. Occasionally, they even mentioned the king's name. Importantly, east of the Jordan, among the Midianite tribes, a tribe called the Kushim is noted. This is not a mistake; it is not an African name that crept in, but the name of a Midianite tribe.

Later, more sources were found on this topic, and even hints in the Tanach indicating that among the Midianites, there was an ancient tribe called "Kushi," but the name fell out of use, replaced by the more general "Midian". Why was the tribe called Kushi? Was it because the tribe members were dark-skinned and resembled Cushites? Was it because just as a Cushite is black, they were beautiful? We do not know for certain, but what is clear is that the interpretation of the sages, saying that the Cushite woman is Zipporah the Midianite, fits well with what is known to us. Blessed are those who chose them and their teachings!