Tales of the Holy Mysticat: Jewish Wisdom Stories by a Feline Mystic by Rachel Adler

Buy this book at Amazon

  When Rabbi Rachel Adler, esteemed feminist theologian, decided her new apartment needed a cat, she searched the local shelters. One gaunt feline caught her eye. Despite being caged, he radiated the spiritual beauty of face and dignity of bearing that mark a great soul. As he settled into his new home–purring at the Hebrew volumes in Adler’s library, nodding attentively to the mezzuzot on her doorposts, and engaging in soulful meditation three times each day–Adler discerned that he was no ordinary kitty. He was an old soul with many lifetimes of Jewish wisdom to impart, reincarnated to a higher level in the form of a gray tabby–the Holy Mysticat.

This engaging book is a guide to Jewish literacy, using the behaviors of Adler’s most peculiar cat to lead readers on a journey through thousands of years of Jewish thought, history, and practices. A collection of whimsical stories, interspersed with cleverly drawn black-and-white illustrations, Tales of the Holy Mysticat provides unique insights into Jewish mysticism by one of our generation’s most profoundly creative scholars–portrayed through the life of her cat. Just as the Holy Mysticat became Adler’s teacher, so too can the Holy Mysticat teach us all.

Year first published: 2020