Perek Shira: The Song of the Cat
The Cat says: “I will pursue my enemies and reach them, and I shall not turn back until I annihilate them!” (Tehillim 18:38)
Despite its small size and generally timid nature, the cat is an adept hunter. It has a flexible body, sharp teeth and protractible claws. It has especially keen senses. It can search for prey even at night, requiring only one-sixth of the light needed for human vision. It can hear a wide range of sounds, even ultrasonic calls made by rodent prey. The cat has quick reflexes and an acute sense of balance, with an uncanny ability to right itself in the middle of a fall. It stalks its prey with confidence, always hunting alone. Most notably, cats are highly efficiency in hunting pests, such as crop-destroying mice. When farmers realized this, they began to domesticize cats, which quickly spread throughout the world.
The cat has a unique lesson — and a song. It teaches of the virtue of modesty. In fact, the Sages remark that if the Torah would not have been given, we would have learned the virtue of modesty from the cat. It has a generally timid and reserved nature. More specifically, the cat expresses its modesty in the private way in which it performs its bodily functions, unlike the shameless way of other animals. It defecates out of sight, thereafter covering its excrement. It is similarly modest in its secretive mating conduct.
The cat's refinement in these matters is most significant, as the Torah commands us to keep our encampment clean of both waste matter and immoral behavior in order that Hashem’s Presence can rest upon us, and thereby we will merit protection and victory over our foes. With the cat's success as a hunter, it expresses this lesson. Also notable, there is a Talmudic teaching that one who conducts himself with modesty in the lavatory merits protection from snakes and scorpions, which are amongst the more potent prey of the cat. Remarkably, cats are mostly immune to snake venom.
With every leap, the cat sings of the battle cry of King David as he leapt with confidence to destroy the enemies of Israel: “I will pursue my enemies and reach them, and I shall not turn back until I annihilate them.”
We can learn modesty from the cat. We should our best to keep our habitats clean from both physical and spiritual obscenities, allowing Hashem to rest His Presence and blessing upon us. In fact, our pristine souls, breaths of Hashem Himself, yearn for nothing more than the purest and holiest of lives. Yet, our bodies, which were fashioned from the earth, pull towards that which is base, lowly, and even foul. As Jews, it is natural for us to conduct ourselves with modesty, as it is one of inherent traits of our people, to the extent that bashfulness is said to be the sign of a Jew. When we live in the way that befits Hashem’s nation, we merit His blessings and we can leap at our goals with confidence.
- Sources: Devarim 23:15; Sifra 258, cited in Lechem Rav; Bishmi v’Lichvodi Brasiv, based on Berachos 62a;Rashi toShabbos 128b; Sichas Chullin pg. 347; Eiruvin 100b, and Rashi, Rabbeinu Chananel, and Rashash
*In loving memory of Harav Zeev Shlomo ben Zecharia Leib
