A reflection of The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar.
This tale (the first of three books) sets the stage for self-discovery and realization through thought. A grey, skinny cat serves as the “voice of doubt” but within the doubt he shows truth and flexibility. Cat (as he is not given a name) interacts with different characters all with different “stages” of religion (and thus local tradition). The father is the Rabbi of the area who is stressed about being replaced. The daughter, the cat’s mistress, accepts tradition and is engaged to a French Rabbi. The father's Rabbi (the Rabbi’s Rabbi) is fully immersed in the religion, but is blind to alternate explanation of the ideals it gives.
This tale (the first of three books) sets the stage for self-discovery and realization through thought. A grey, skinny cat serves as the “voice of doubt” but within the doubt he shows truth and flexibility. Cat (as he is not given a name) interacts with different characters all with different “stages” of religion (and thus local tradition). The father is the Rabbi of the area who is stressed about being replaced. The daughter, the cat’s mistress, accepts tradition and is engaged to a French Rabbi. The father's Rabbi (the Rabbi’s Rabbi) is fully immersed in the religion, but is blind to alternate explanation of the ideals it gives.
During a time of self-reflection the father leaves his home and makes a pilgrimage to his great-grandfather-in-law, a respected doctor, Rabbi, and saint (pages 83-87). On the way there he meets a fellow traveler, Sfar, which is revealed to be a well known singer and dancer, and by coincidence going to the same place.
Now, my favorite part of this section is the quote by Sfar, “You can give speech to an ass, but he’s still an ass.” The Rabbi goes to ask, “You don’t think we should educate everyone?” and Sfar answers with “Yes, we should educate asses. But without illusions.” These three lines got a chuckle out of me. I am currently a Special Education student and these lines based on the education of “asses” are easily connected with the education of stubborn students (and sometimes parents). The children want to learn, but are unable to use the education they are given until they themselves reflect on the lessons. No matter how well the teacher gives the information to the student, the knowledge is liable to different interpretations for each child. As Sfar puts it:
Every time I like a song, I feel moved to pass it on. So I gather round the greatest possible number of musicians and teach it to them…the worst part is that when I hear the text in their mouths, it’s ruined. And the lyrics I liked become ordinary.
No matter the lesson, be it religion, literature, or general knowledge the information that is precious to the teacher become corrupt by the minds of the students. Knowledge cannot be given “word-for-word”, it has to be interpreted for each person. A great educator needs to understand that the golden words of education need to be given in ways that a person may understand it. Buy the end of this book the Rabbi realizes this and changes his view on religion (and thus tradition); becoming a bit more flexible and understanding of the people he interacts with.
This is very interesting commentary on the text. You make a good point about how we must educate everyone, but without illusions. Special Ed is a particularly poignant example. I like the lesson you take by the end that the teacher needs to be flexible and understanding....and without any illusions. I don't agree that students "corrupt" the knowledge; I think it just gets filtered through their experiences. It's the filters one needs to be patient with.
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