Meow Mix

"The Rabbi's Cat" is an interesting depiction of the world as seen through the eyes of a cat. Kitty says things exactly as he sees them, from his views on sex to religion. The religious aspect of the story is what I found intriguing. Kitty decides that if he is to be a part of society, since he had the ability to speak, then he will go along with the Rabbi's demands to become Jewish.  I am not focusing on Kitty in my reflection though (surprise!). I’m focusing on a character I found extremely admirable.

On this journey, I followed the Rabbi's trials with his faith. At first we saw a steadfast, faithful Jewish man who strictly followed every command he could (I say could because there are simply too many in the Jewish faith to keep track of ALL the time). At the same time though he didn’t claim to have all of the answers to the questions that other followers asked.

This scene at the water fountain is one in particular that caught my attention. In my experiences with religious mentees I have found that they try to answer in a way that makes them seem “higher” than the congregation. I was annoyed with this because, in my eyes, they should be a leader, yet still be humble, and standing on a pedestal isn’t very humbling. The Rabbi was confronted by another Jewish man who wasn’t sure about etiquette in regarding their sect and his own; what would be considered sinful, and wouldn’t. The Rabbi didn’t say that he didn’t know the answer, but he didn’t stumble over it either. He simply said if the man didn’t know anyone from another sect then not to worry about it.

The Rabbi is an extremely relatable, and real character. I felt a connection with him as he left his homeland and discovered a harsher world in Paris. His traditions weren’t followed, he was forced to seek shelter in a church, and his faith in God trembled. We then found him in a restraunt, eating everything non-kosher, and (I took it for) mocking how ridiculous he has been for thinking God would smite him for eating these foods. I’m not sure that was his intention. I’m more under the impression that he had cracked and everyone does now and again. He did however find a peace and relaxation towards religion that he didn’t have before. Shockingly enough he tried to instill it in his congregation, and I believe that backfired, BUT I still find him to be respectable. Even more so I have an admiration for Joann Sfar for creating this story and revealing to the world that even our religious figures are still, only human.