You have probably heard the old adage that there are dog people and cat people. Is this true? I don’t know! However, there very well might be dog Jews and cat Jews!
Contemporary Judaism is very dog like and extraverted. Moreover, synagogues are very dog places! But what about Jewish introverts? Is there a place for Jewish introverts, those who love or live with them, and others who just want to slow down and take a breath?
“Dog” Rabbis and “Cat” Rabbis
I am currently studying toward becoming a rabbi. Before deciding to take this step, I spent much time considering how best to serve the Jewish community. I gave many, many years reflecting and discerning if and how to prepare for the rabbinate.
A couple of years ago, I came across an interesting book called Keeping Faith in Rabbis: A Community Conversation in Rabbinical Education. It is a really interesting book! The editors invited Rabbis from across the Jewish denominational spectrum to reflect on their rabbinical education with an eye toward improving and refining rabbinical training in the future.
Rabbi Edward C. Bernstein writes a fascinating chapter in the book and cites a 1995 essay in the CCAR Journal written by Rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok called “Dog Rabbis and Cat Rabbis.” Cohn-Sherbok writes:
The congregational rabbinate is designed for dog rabbis. A good rabbi must behave like a dog, loving everyone, greeting each person with enthusiasm, rounding everyone up and metaphorically wagging his tail. Right or wrong, this is ultimately what congregants want: a rabbi must be friendly and public-spirited, he cannot be a solitary recluse.
Bernstein aptly adds the idea that dog rabbis are more like extraverts, and cat rabbis are more like introverts. He also speaks about how synagogues often expect their Rabbis to be extraverted and suggests that Jewish congregations can benefit from welcoming both “dog” and “cat” rabbis to the bimah and benefiting from the strengths that each one brings.
Are there “Dog” Jews and “Cat” Jews?
When C.G. Jung developed his ideas of psychological types and Isabel Briggs Myers, David Kiersey, and others furthered them, the terms introversion and extraversion were used in a specific way that is very different from how they are typically understood.
Extraversion and introversion does not really refer to either being outgoing or shy. They refer to something else – how one recharges their “batteries.” Extraverts rejuvenate through being with others in social situations and large groups, whereas introverts rejuvenate through being alone or with a small number of close family and friends.
The idea of “dog” and “cat” rabbis is an interesting and amusing one. I would venture to take it one step further and say that this comparison is not only a humorous perspective on the modern day rabbinate but is also an evocative reflection of contemporary Judaism and spiritual practice today.
Roughly half of all people are introverted, though you would not know this by attending services at the typical synagogue. Synagogues are often dog places! This is especially so with the hubbub and busy-ness of the synagogue and it’s focus on political action. But what about Jewish cats? And where can they go?
A New and Different “Synagogue”
Please, don’t get me wrong! Community is wonderful! And being in relationship with others helps us grow, mature, and work through – or at least, recognize – our rough edges. (We all have them!)
In fact, I am very pleased by the efforts of rabbis and other Jewish educators and community leaders – such as Ron Wolfson, Isa Aaron, Rabbi Lawrence Hoffman, Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, and Rabbi Elie Kaunfer – who are speaking about synagogue innovation and transformation. These innovators are encouraging us to focus on relationship, community building, and making the synagogue a warm and welcoming place to better meet the needs of the Jewish community. This is wonderful!
Yet the questions remain, “What is the synagogue’s purpose today? Do we even still need them? And why?”
The synagogue as we know it is very new. Heavily influenced by Mordecai Kaplan’s American Reconstructionist Judaism, the establishment of Jewish Community Centers in the early 20th century, and ongoing secularization in the larger culture, American synagogues have largely become places for community gatherings and cultural celebration of Jewish holidays.
This is wonderful! Yet the synagogue – or places like it – need to be more. We need more! This may sound strange to say, though what the synagogue is missing is God!
Meditation, mindfulness, and other contemplative spiritual practices allow both the dog Jew and cat Jew alike to seek meaning and sanctuary in both interpersonal relationships and the inner life, in the company of others in a house of worship or meditation center, as well as the solace of nature and quietude.
Dog rabbis and cat rabbis, cat Jews and dog Jews, dog synagogues and cat temples, we need it all! My personal practice and experience has taught me – sometimes, with great difficulty – is that absolutely nothing is excluded! Whether spoken aloud in a chorus of prayer or heard as the still, small voice, the Divine is never absent!
As always, if you are interested in learning more about Jewish Mindfulness Meditation or how to create a more meaningful spiritual path for you and your loved ones, please make sure to sign up and click the “Stay Connected Now!” button below!
Adam Fogel
www.mindfuljudaism.com