Meow :3

In a nutshell, Rabbi Elazar says that because mice like to gnaw on random things and destroy them, they supposedly have an evil inclination. This evil inclination makes you forget important things, such as Torah study. Cats eat mice often so this is why cats forget about their owners and scamper off. So to not be as forgetful as cats, avoid eating mouse food or mice themselves.

There’s a few ways you can interpret this, most of which are pretty bad. I prefer to think of it as highlighting how, even two millennia ago, we recognized how independent-minded and easily distractible cats are. Distractible… Snack…

Cats really are a metaphor for ADHD.

Source: Horayot 13a:23 on Sefaria

#talmud #talmudposting #judaism #catposting