Canine Exegesis

Shortly after our sons were born we brought home Jessie - our diehard Scottish Terrier. She literally grew up with our sons. From the time they were young they loved to be together, they pulling her ears and tail, she pulling them on her leash. Soon Jessie showed particular partiality towards our sons especially around our dining table sitting faithfully right beneath their chairs. It was not difficult to spy out the reason. Our boys were never big eaters and were not particularly careful with their spoons and forks. They were literally sharing their meals with Jessie. It probably started in full innocence, but undoubtedly there were times when they did it on purpose, especially if they did not like a particular dish. And Jessie simply acted out the common Czech nickname of her breed - Black Dry Mop. She faithfully did the first cleaning under our kitchen table for all her sixteen years. Of course the boys stopped dropping food well before they were sixteen or fifteen, but in the kitchen of even the most careful cook (an I am not one of them) there are always some crumbs to be found by a diligent dog. Thus with our Jessie I gained my first-hand experience and exegetical insight into the famous biblical passage about children, crumbs and dogs under tables. This keen biblical observation and its broader story will lead us this Sunday in our celebration of motherly love as well as the direct divine lesson in overcoming prejudice and expanding our circle of love. Come to be inspired by the divine willingness to change and love.

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And her is an Ancient Syrian, Ugaritic, reference of feeding dogs under divine tables. 

Myth about El's Banquet and the cure of hangover
KTU 1.114
 

In his house El gave a feast of game,
the produce of the hunt in the midst of his palace.
 

He cried:
To the carving, gods!
Eat, O gods, and drink!
Drink wine until satiety,
foaming wine until inebriety!

Yarich arched his back like a dog,
he gathered up crumbs beneath the tables.
Any god who recognized him,
threw him meat from the joint.
 

But any god who didn’t recognized him
hit him with a stick beneath the table.
At the call of Athtart and Anat he approached.
Athtart threw him a haunch,
and Anat a shoulder of meat.
 

The porter of El’s house shouted: Look!
Why have you throw a haunch to the dog,
why to the cur have you thrown a shoulder?
He shouted at El his father.
    El Summoned his drinking companions,
    El took his seat in his feasting house.
    He drank wine to satiety,
    new wine until inebriety.

El went off to his house,
he stumbled off towards his dwelling,
Thukanum and Shanim supported him.
A creeping monster approached him,
with horns and tail.
    He floundered in his own feaces and urine,
    El fell down as though dead,
    El was like those who go down into the underworld.
Anat and Athtart went out hunting
....
....
Athtart and Anat returned
they brought back meat
When they cured him, he awoke.
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This is what needs to be put on his forehead: dog-hair, and the knot of vine and its juice. They should be applied together with virgin olive oil.