"Unusual In His Skin": Talmudic Discourse on the Cushi and other Types of People With Notable Physical Appearances (Berakhot 58b and Moed Katan 16b)
Types of People With Notable Physical Appearances and Disabilites (Berakhot 58b); Homiletic Interpretations of the Meaning of “Cushi” in the Bible - Saul; Zipporah; Zedekiah; Israel (Moed Katan 16b)
Cushi in the Bible and the Talmud
The word Cushi or Kushi (Hebrew: כּוּשִׁי [...]) is generally used in the Hebrew Bible to refer to a dark-skinned person of African descent, equivalent to Greek Αἰθίοψ "Aithíops".
For a an excellent systematic exploration of the historical Jewish attitudes towards Black Africans, see David M. Goldenberg, The Curse of Ham: Race and Slavery in Early Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (2003).
Types of People With Notable Physical Appearances and Disabilites (Berakhot 58b)
The Talmud in Berakhot 58b (section #8), citing a beraita, states that there are special blessings made upon seeing certain types of people with notable physical appearances and disabilites1 (I made adjustments to the Steinzaltz translation, as needed):
ראה את
הכושי,
ואת הגיחור,
ואת הלווקן,
ואת הקפח,
ואת הננס,
ואת הדרניקוס,
אומר: ״ברוך … משנה את הבריות״.
את הקטע,
ואת הסומא,
ואת פתויי הראש,
ואת החגר,
ואת המוכה שחין,
ואת הבהקנים,
אומר: ״ברוך … דיין אמת״.
One who saw
a Cushi (כושי),
a person with red skin (גיחור) [E.B. maybe someone with Rosacea],
a person with white skin [leukon] [E.B. - לווקן - from Greek leukós, i.e. an albino],
a tall and thin person (קפח) [E.B. maybe someone with gigantism disorder],
or one with edema [dranikos] [E.B. - דרניקוס - from Greek hudrōpikós, see Jastrow. Edema - Wikipedia: “Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected.”],
recites: “Blessed…Who makes creatures different”.
one who sees an amputee (קטע),
a blind person (סומא),
a flat-headed person (פתויי הראש), [E.B. - i.e. a person with a cranial deformity]
a lame person (חגר) [E.B. - i.e. someone who has a limp or other mobility disability,
one afflicted with boils (מוכה שחין), [E.B. - i.e. severe acne or another severe skin condition, such as dermatitis],
or spotted people (בהקנים) [E.B. - this could be a person with vitiligo or a pigmentation disorder],
recites: Blessed…the true Judge.
Homiletic Interpretations of the Meaning of “Cushi” in the Bible - Saul; Zipporah; Zedekiah; Israel (Moed Katan 16b)
This Talmudic passage explores the use of the term "Cushite" in various biblical contexts, positing that rather than indicating the literal Cushite ethnicity of otherwise unknown figures, “Cushite” symbolically refers to distinguished characteristics or notable actions of otherwise well-known Biblical figures.
All four parts of this passage have the same formula:
A Biblical verse is quoted, where someone otherwise-unknown is referred to as “Cushi”.
The Talmud rhetorically asks: Is “Cushi” his/her/their name?! Their name is X! Where X is a major Biblical person or group.
The Talmud goes on to explain, that just as a Cushi is different/unusual (משונה) in his skin [color], so too X is different/unusual (משונה) in their actions
Identifying obscure Biblical names with well-known people
On the general trend in the Talmud of identifying obscure Biblical names with well-known people, see my piece at Academia.edu page (registration required): ““Why Was He Called Thus?”: An Anthology of Talmudic Passages Relating to Explanations of Biblical Names, Unification of Ostensibly Separate Biblical Personalities, and Etymologies of Biblical Words”, where I write:
Obscure names of people / places in the Bible are explained to be famous people / places. The obscure name is understood to be an epithet, and so an explanation is then given for the nickname [...]
Outline
Saul
Zipporah
Zedekiah
Israel
The Talmudic passage
Steinzaltz, throughout, translates the word meshuneh as “distinguished”. I believe that the more precise translation is “different, unusual”. (In later Ashkenazi Hebrew, and in Yiddish, meshuneh came to have the meaning of “strange, odd, bizarre"; for example, ma’aseh meshuneh - "a strange story”.
Saul
David and Saul (Psalms 7:1): "Shiggaion of David" refers to Saul as a "Cushite" (according to the Talmud), symbolizing his unusually high level of righteousness and good deeds, rather than his literal identity. This usage highlights David’s regret over celebrating Saul’s downfall, acknowledging Saul's noble qualities instead.
היינו דכתיב: ״שגיון לדוד אשר שר לה׳ על דברי כוש בן ימיני״,
וכי כוש שמו?
והלא שאול שמו!
אלא: מה כושי משונה בעורו — אף שאול משונה במעשיו.
The response to this admonishment is found in the verse, as it is written: “Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning the words of Cush the Benjaminite” (Psalms 7:1).
Is Cush his name?!
Saul is his name.
Rather, this is a designation that indicates: Just as a Cushite, a native of the ancient kingdom of Cush in eastern Africa, is distinguished by his dark skin, so too, Saul was distinguished by his actions, as he was absolutely righteous and performed many good deeds. Therefore, David uses the word shiggaion as an allusion to the error [shegia] that he had made when he sang a song of praise over Saul’s downfall.
Zipporah
Moses and Zipporah (Numbers 12:1): Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses for marrying a "Cushite woman," referring to Zipporah. Here, "Cushite" symbolizes her unusually good actions or qualities, not her ethnicity.
כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר: ״על אודות האשה הכושית אשר לקח״,
וכי כושית שמה?
והלא ציפורה שמה!
אלא: מה כושית משונה בעורה — אף ציפורה משונה במעשיה.
The Gemara notes: Similarly, you can explain the verse: “And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses due to the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had taken a Cushite woman” (Numbers 12:1).
But is her name Cushite?!
Zipporah is her name.
Rather, just as a Cushite is distinguished by his dark skin, so too, Zipporah was distinguished by her actions.
Zedekiah
Ebed-Melech (Jeremiah 38:7): Ebed-Melech is called a "Cushite”. The Talmud explains that this in fact refers to Zedekiah, and signifies his righteous actions during a critical moment, rather than his actual name or race.
כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר: ״וישמע עבד מלך הכושי״,
וכי כושי שמו?
והלא צדקיה שמו!
אלא: מה כושי משונה בעורו — אף צדקיה משונה במעשיו.
The Gemara continues: Similarly, you can explain the verse: “Now when Ebed-Melech the Cushite heard” (Jeremiah 38:7).
Is his name Cushite?!
Zedekiah is his name.
Rather, just as a Cushite is distinguished by his dark skin, so too, Zedekiah was distinguished by his righteous actions.
Israel
Children of Israel (Amos 9:7): The verse equates the children of Israel with "Cushites," emphasizing their distinctiveness and unique relationship with God through their actions, as opposed to their racial identity.
כיוצא בדבר אתה אומר: ״הלא כבני כושיים אתם לי בית ישראל״,
וכי כושיים שמן?
והלא ישראל שמן!
אלא: מה כושי משונה בעורו — אף ישראל משונין במעשיהן מכל האומות.
Similarly, you can explain the verse: “Are you not as much Mine as the children of the Cushites, O children of Israel?” (Amos 9:7).
Is their name Cushite?!
Israel is their name.
Rather, just as a Cushite is distinguished by his dark skin, so too, the Jewish people are distinguished by their actions, and they are different from all the other nations.
For additional background, and subsequent history of one of these blessings, see Hebrew Wikipedia, ברכת משנה הבריות.