Are cats just like us? The wise men of Egypt would often debate
philosophy with Maimonides. One
philosophical dispute concerned the difference between human beings and the
animal kingdom. According to the wise
men, we are merely quantitatively different from beasts. According to Maimonides, we are qualitatively
different. While Maimonides believed
that animals could never be compared to people, the Egyptians felt that, with
the right training, an animal could assume human traits.
Determined to prove their position,
one day they invited Maimonides to a feast.
He entered the hall and was ‘greeted’ at the front by a cat standing on
its hind legs. The cat showed Maimonides
to his seat, and proceeded to pour him some wine. The Egyptian wise men looked on with pride,
as their protégé demonstrated their point.
Maimonides, however, smiled at them and pulled a mouse out of his pocket
and set it loose. All of a sudden, the
cat ‘forgot’ that it was meant to be acting like a human. It dropped the bottle of wine, fell down onto
all-fours and began to scamper after the mouse.
Regarding manure that was passing by, Abaye says, ‘It is permissible
to recite the Shema in its presence.’
Rava says, ‘It is forbidden to recite the Shema.’
Rav Papa says, ‘The mouth of a pig is like passing manure.’
‘Isn’t that obvious?’ asks the Gemara.
(Rashi explains: Pigs always have filthy mouths).
The Gemara answers: The meaning is, even if it has just emerged from a
river (and cleansed itself).
Proverbs (11:22) teaches, “Like a
swine with a gold nose-ring is a beautiful woman of poor taste.” No matter how many gold rings you place on a
swine, it will still be a swine.
Similarly, Rav Papa teaches that a swine that has emerged from a river
remains a swine. Outwardly, it might
appear to be clean and beautiful, but its inner essence has not changed. You can clean up a pig, dress it up in the
finest garments, and adorn it with the finest jewellery, but it will still be a
pig.
King Solomon’s message in Proverbs
is that our internal character must match our external appearance. We all have our personal mice, explains the Alter
of Kelm. Under ordinary circumstances,
we are able to act calm, cool, and collected.
But all we need is one little mouse to be let loose, and we lose control
over ourselves. Because we’ve never truly dealt with our mice and transformed
our internal character.
For some of us, it might be
anger. For others it may be lust. For yet others it may be arrogance. We’re able to act in a refined manner. We look like we’ve got it all under
control. And then, that mouse is
unleashed. And you’re a different person
entirely.
Let’s say your mouse is anger. For the most part, you do your best to
maintain your calm composure. But then
someone says something that you don’t like, and you lash out at them, to the
astonishment of all, including yourself.
Maybe your mouse is lust. Generally, you’re pretty good at controlling
your urge to act on your desires. And
then an irresistible temptation comes your way.
And you transform from a person into a cat. That’s what happens when you haven’t truly
refined your internal self and conquered your lustful character.
Or perhaps your internal cat is the
trait of arrogance, or pride. You’re
able to maintain a façade of humility.
Until suddenly someone pushes your buttons and you feel you’ve been
disrespected. Your true inner being
emerges, and it becomes clear that you weren’t the humble individual you
pretended to be all along.
It’s not easy to refine our inner
selves. But we can. Unlike a swine or a cat, human beings have a
special Divine gift. You were placed on
this Earth with a unique mission. To fix
the person into which your soul was placed.
If you’re dealing with a challenging character trait, know that the
Almighty has clearly defined your mission to you. He has sent you here to fix that trait and
transform your character.
How you do that depends upon the
‘cat’ you are dealing with. If your
inner cat is rage, a good step towards transformation is to train yourself not
to respond to an agitator for 24 hours. Sleep
on the matter, think it over. And then
respond to the person or situation once you’ve taken control of your emotions
and you can deal with the matter rationally and sensibly.
If your inner cat is lust, you need
to set up fences to avoid any contact with any temptation that might unleash
your impulses. If your inner cat is
arrogance, try spending five minutes a day learning the sections of Mussar
(ethical Torah teachings) that speak of the smallness of man in this great
universe and our lowliness before the Almighty.
Over time, you will see that your character will transform. What began as an external act can, and will,
become essential to who you are.
You are not a cat or a swine. You are a human being created in the image of
G-d. You have the ability and the duty
to transform yourself into the prince and princess of our Father, our King. May you find your inner cat and be successful
in your self-transformation!
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