It’s Biblical! This week: Kish
Everything you ever wanted to know about your favourite Torah characters, and the ones you’ve never heard of...
Rabbi Ariel Abel is based in Liverpool
Kish the Benjaminite was not only the father of Saul, first king of the first Israelite Commonwealth. He was also a herder who cared about his animals.
Kish sent Saul to find them and, on the way, Saul, a head taller than anyone, attracted the attention of a group of young maidens.
He was a handsome young man and the young ladies kept him talking for a while. All he wanted to achieve was the return home of his father’s donkeys, and while in the area, he wished to meet Samuel the Prophet (pictured).
Although Samuel told him that Kish’s animals had been found, Samuel had other ideas for Kish’s son and crowned him King of Israel.
Kish is named in the scroll of Esther as ancestor of Mordechai, cousin of Queen Esther of Persia, father of Shim’i, the obedient one.
Mordechai raised Darius II, who oversaw the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Was this the same Kish as the father of Saul?
One Midrash claims he was a fifth generation descendent. Another Midrash suggests that Mordechai was compared to Kish, father of Saul, because they shared the same characteristics.
Mordechai, claims the Midrash, was unlike Saul and more like his father Kish. By taking charge of situations of lost hope, both Mordechai and Kish in their own way brought salvation to Israel through the Benjaminite tribe.
By contrast, Saul did not persevere, but rushed in to things, letting his temper and jealousy get the better of him against both David and his own son Jonathan, and lost his kingdom thereafter.
Mordechai restored strong-headed leadership to the House of Benjamin and salvaged Saul’s reputation as the impatient king who lost royal lineage to the tribe of Judah, to being remembered for his obedience and perseverance.
ω Ariel Abel is rabbi of Liverpool Old Hebrew Congregation and chaplain to Army Cadets on Merseyside
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
