The Rabbi's Cat

I passed over The Rabbi's Cat repeatedly in the graphic novel section of my bookstore... the cover was a bit of a turn-off and the size is a bit cumbersome. I finally flipped through it at my library and checked it out. I'm beating myself up now for not reading this sooner! What makes this graphic novel really great is the way that Sfar is able to weave very subtle everyday elements of life into his stories. The characters' emotions, particularly the rabbi and the cat have such great range and believeablity... many Western comics artists should take note. Indeed, its a welcome break from the white-boy 'slice of life' comics that are so trendy in comics now. The Rabbi even has a debate with his cat over Western-vs.Eastern thought (albiet regarding religion and philosophy). Its a much needed return to rich storytelling in comics.

Safr's beautifully illustrated tale of a traditional rabbi who loses his faith in the face of colonial assimilation and a secular cat who tells the tale is on the level of Will Eisner's Contract With God and Art Speigelman's Maus. American readers will certainly connect to the tale as an Algerian parallel to the intellectual journey of Mordecai Kaplan, the American Jewish thinker whose Judaism as a Civilization was penned at the same time of the setting of this fictional fable. Safr raises the ultimate post-Enlightenment question: What is the role of religion in the absence of a supernatual God who acts in history? He is the first writer, I believe, to have a street-smart house cat answer this question. Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner, Director, Center for Multifaith Education, Auburn Theological Seminary, NYC.

This book is great fun to read. The cat is a wonderful character, particularly when he is arguing theology and Talmud. I suspect if cats really could talk and argue theology, they'd act much like the one drawn in this book. In fact the book was inspired by the author's real cat (who doesn't speak, at least that I know of :-)) but apparently does understand how to keep his humans. This book can be enjoyed on several levels - as a fable about a cat and his humans, as a series of theological and philosophical debates, or just as a fun story about a talking cat and his adventures with his master. An important story element about midway through that the cat never figures out, but my wife did - it is an exchange, not a loss. This will make more sense after you've finished the book. One does not have to be Jewish or a scholar to appreciate the story and humor, but we gave a copy to our Rabbi as a gift and he loved it too. A couple more gift copies are planned too. Is that a positive endorsement or what? Parents of small children be warned - you might want to edit out the use of one bad word and some discussions of sexual topics.

What can I say? The cat is one of the most charming, insightful, and funny characters to appear since Philip Roth's more audacious characters. This book is both laugh-out-loud funny, sad, sardonic, and ultimately life-affirming. It is an extremely offbeat book - trying to describe it is almost impossible. You really have to see it to "get" it. Unfortunately, no preview pages appear on the site, because that would greatly help to convey the character of the book. To give you an idea: in the first section, the cat eats a parrot and gains the power of speech. He explores all of the things one can do with that: taunt, lie, blaspheme, and bait. The rabbi wants to teach him Torah, but he wants to learn Kabalah. The issue is brought to "the rabbi's rabbi," where the cat informs him that: "I want to convert to Judaism. He asks me why. I tell him that if I am a good Jew, the rabbi will let me spend time with his daughter. I explain to him that the rabbi's daughter is my mistress. That I can't live without her, because she is my joy, and love is a beautiful thing. He tells me that my motives for converting to Judaism are unsatisfactory, that my love of God isn't sincere. I never said anything about love of God.... He says that thinking of God fills even the grayest days with sunlight. He says that the love of God should be almost carnal. He tells me that it is an intellectual love but you should always feel as though you were cradled in the arms of a master who is invincible, benevolent, and just. I tell him that this is exactly what I feel for my mistress. ...I answer that he blasphemes, that my mistress is true. He says that only God is true. I say that God is a reassuring myth. I say that he doesn't have anyone to take care of him because he is old and his parents are dead. I say that I have my mistress and I will never be alone because I will die before she does. He throws my master and me out." Couple dialog like this with the wonderful drawings, the cat's flashing green naughty eyes, the gentle rabbi and his beloved daughter, and you have an amazingly odd, touching, and engaging book. Be advised: this is not a children's book (although if you are liberal with your older children and don't mind them dealing with some adult themes, I'm sure a lot would love it). The themes are theology, faith, death, existential fear, love, religion versus secularity, jealousy, and even class differences in France. Don't be put off though; it's an easy, fun, and quick read. Sfar is immensely talented, and the sparse prose has been carefully thought out and apparently translates well. Don't miss this one!

The Rabbi's Cat is a wonderful book. I heard the author speak on NPR and got the book. The book is in the form of a comic strip, each box lovingly illustrated by the author. The pictures are wonderful, particularly of the cat. They are a joy to behold. Even better are the stories, anecdotes taken from the lives of the Jews in North Africa in the thirties. The stories are both very sad and hysterically funny. The cat has a sardonic turn of phrase that had me in stitches. Through the difficult medium of comics, the author has managed to capture the atmosphere of the time and place. Much of the book is given to musings about life, philosophy, love, God and so on. If you like a good discussion, you'll enjoy this book. Although the books can be enjoyed by non-Jews, I think if you don't know the basics of Judaism, you'll be missing the most vital part of the book. Of course, the book is so appropriate for the cat lover. The author clearly understands cats perfectly.