Black is beautiful? - Rashi commentary

[Mishmaat]

.ידעתי זה ימים רבים כי יפת מראה את, ועכשיו אנו באים בין אנשים שחורים ומכוערים, אחיהם של כושים, ולא הורגלו באשה יפה

"I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among black and ugly people, the brothers of the Kushim, and they are not accustomed to a beautiful woman." (Rashi, Lech-Lecha 12:11)

[muman613]

This is what Avraham Avinu said to Sarah when they sojourned. Avraham pretended to be Sarahs brother so that the peoples of the nations would not kill him in order to steal Sarah. He was saying that he realized how beatiful she was... I have heard many discussions of this Paraha, Lech Lecha, where Avraham was told to leave the house of his father and go to a land that Hashem would show Avraham.

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

.ידעתי זה ימים רבים כי יפת מראה את, ועכשיו אנו באים בין אנשים שחורים ומכוערים, אחיהם של כושים, ולא הורגלו באשה יפה

"I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among black and ugly people, the brothers of the Kushim, and they are not accustomed to a beautiful woman." (Rashi, Lech-Lecha 12:11)

There are some real loonies out there (black racist Jew-hating loonies) that have used that one line to craft entire mythologies about how the Jews supposedly 'ran the slave trade' and wanted to subjugate blacks and tried to give blacks aids virus, apparently because Rashi considered them not the most beautiful women to look at.....    Really bizarre.  You can find those idiots on youtube.   

Off topic but I have nothing to add here other than "no comment"   

[AsheDina]

.ידעתי זה ימים רבים כי יפת מראה את, ועכשיו אנו באים בין אנשים שחורים ומכוערים, אחיהם של כושים, ולא הורגלו באשה יפה

"I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among black and ugly people, the brothers of the Kushim, and they are not accustomed to a beautiful woman." (Rashi, Lech-Lecha 12:11)

WOW, Chaim was telling me about this the other night--INDEED!

[Kahane-Was-Right BT]

.ידעתי זה ימים רבים כי יפת מראה את, ועכשיו אנו באים בין אנשים שחורים ומכוערים, אחיהם של כושים, ולא הורגלו באשה יפה

"I have known already for a long time that you are of fair appearance, but now we are coming among black and ugly people, the brothers of the Kushim, and they are not accustomed to a beautiful woman." (Rashi, Lech-Lecha 12:11)

WOW, Chaim was telling me about this the other night--INDEED!

Why thumbs down?

There was no such thing as PC in Rashi's day.

[Saxon Marauder]

Also, that the most attractive black people, like Tyra Banks or Halle Berry have lighter skin tones. In Halle Berry's case, the reason is: she's half white and she's also shacked up with a white French Canadian who's the father of her daughter Nahla. Black is beautiful hehe.