Balaam concludes his final prophecy by addressing the Kenite people:“He saw the Kenites and, taking up his theme, he said: Though your abode be secure, And your nest be set among cliffs,”(Numbers 24:21)
Who are these Kenites whose dwelling Balaam praises?
According to the Book of Judges, the Kenites are descendants of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law:“The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms…” (Judges 1:16)
They lived alongside the people of Israel, integrated within them, yet maintained their distinct identity as a separate group. They appear repeatedly in the books of Judges, Samuel, and Chronicles—people living within the Israelite sphere, but never fully assimilated into it.
The Book of Chronicles describes them as “scribes who dwelt at Jabez”:“These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, father of the house of Rechab.”
(I Chronicles 2:55)
The sages also spoke highly of them, saying of Jethro: “His descendants merited to sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone and be counted among Israel.” (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 3)
In other words, Jethro’s descendants reached the heart of the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people.
Yet the unique character of the Kenites emerges most clearly in Jeremiah’s encounter with the House of Rechab. In chapter 35, the prophet Jeremiah is instructed to bring the descendants of Rechab into the Temple and offer them wine. Jeremiah does so, but to his surprise they refuse:“We will drink no wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying: You and your children shall never drink wine.” (Jeremiah 35:6)
They go on to explain that they abstain not only from wine. They do not build houses, sow fields, plant vineyards, or own land:“You shall dwell in tents all your days, so that you may live many days upon the land where you sojourn.” (Jeremiah 35:7)
In other words, the House of Rechab is a family of nomads, tent-dwellers. In contemporary terms, they resemble a Bedouin community: people whose lives are not built around permanent homes, fields, and vineyards, but around movement, tents, tribal tradition, and a deep connection to open space.
Jeremiah is deeply impressed by them—not because they sit in positions of institutional power, but because they remain faithful to the tradition of their ancestors. It is Just they, the descendants of the Kenites, who become the mirror Jeremiah holds before Israel:“The descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have obeyed their father’s command… but though I have spoken persistently to you, you have not listened to Me.”(Jeremiah 35:14)
Jeremiah tells Israel: Look at these nomads. Look at these people who live in tents, at the margins of society, outside centers of power. They understand loyalty, tradition, and attentiveness. They have something to teach us.
Perhaps it is this tent-dwelling way of life that Balaam blesses when he says:”Your Abode Be Secure”, not because you never move from your place, but because even in wandering, you carry with you legacy, faithfulness, and blessing.
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Rabbi David Goodman is the rabbi of Morashat Avraham, the Masorti congregation in Armon HaNatziv in Jerusalem, which he leads spiritually together with Rabbi Amirit Rosen. David serves on the board of Rabbis for Human Rights and participates in the Interfaith Forum for Human Rights. He is active in interfaith dialogue in Israel and internationally, facilitating study and encounter groups among people of different faiths. He believes that shared conversation helps create the unique and urgently needed religious voice for our time.
Who are these Kenites whose dwelling Balaam praises?
According to the Book of Judges, the Kenites are descendants of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law:“The descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the City of Palms…” (Judges 1:16)
They lived alongside the people of Israel, integrated within them, yet maintained their distinct identity as a separate group. They appear repeatedly in the books of Judges, Samuel, and Chronicles—people living within the Israelite sphere, but never fully assimilated into it.
The Book of Chronicles describes them as “scribes who dwelt at Jabez”:“These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, father of the house of Rechab.”
(I Chronicles 2:55)
The sages also spoke highly of them, saying of Jethro: “His descendants merited to sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone and be counted among Israel.” (Pesikta de-Rav Kahana 3)
In other words, Jethro’s descendants reached the heart of the spiritual leadership of the Jewish people.
Yet the unique character of the Kenites emerges most clearly in Jeremiah’s encounter with the House of Rechab. In chapter 35, the prophet Jeremiah is instructed to bring the descendants of Rechab into the Temple and offer them wine. Jeremiah does so, but to his surprise they refuse:“We will drink no wine, for Jonadab son of Rechab our father commanded us, saying: You and your children shall never drink wine.” (Jeremiah 35:6)
They go on to explain that they abstain not only from wine. They do not build houses, sow fields, plant vineyards, or own land:“You shall dwell in tents all your days, so that you may live many days upon the land where you sojourn.” (Jeremiah 35:7)
In other words, the House of Rechab is a family of nomads, tent-dwellers. In contemporary terms, they resemble a Bedouin community: people whose lives are not built around permanent homes, fields, and vineyards, but around movement, tents, tribal tradition, and a deep connection to open space.
Jeremiah is deeply impressed by them—not because they sit in positions of institutional power, but because they remain faithful to the tradition of their ancestors. It is Just they, the descendants of the Kenites, who become the mirror Jeremiah holds before Israel:“The descendants of Jonadab son of Rechab have obeyed their father’s command… but though I have spoken persistently to you, you have not listened to Me.”(Jeremiah 35:14)
Jeremiah tells Israel: Look at these nomads. Look at these people who live in tents, at the margins of society, outside centers of power. They understand loyalty, tradition, and attentiveness. They have something to teach us.
Perhaps it is this tent-dwelling way of life that Balaam blesses when he says:”Your Abode Be Secure”, not because you never move from your place, but because even in wandering, you carry with you legacy, faithfulness, and blessing.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rabbi David Goodman is the rabbi of Morashat Avraham, the Masorti congregation in Armon HaNatziv in Jerusalem, which he leads spiritually together with Rabbi Amirit Rosen. David serves on the board of Rabbis for Human Rights and participates in the Interfaith Forum for Human Rights. He is active in interfaith dialogue in Israel and internationally, facilitating study and encounter groups among people of different faiths. He believes that shared conversation helps create the unique and urgently needed religious voice for our time.