Curiosity Only Kills Cats

Curious about the origins of the expression “Curiosity killed the cat?”

It originated in a1598 play entitled “Every Man in His Humour” written by the English playwright Ben Jonson. That original phrase was, “Helter skelter, hang sorrow, care'll kill a cat, up-tails all, and a louse for the hangman.” This evolved to “curiosity killed the cat” found in an Irish newspaper in 1868. The expression caught on and was used more and more by the early 20^th century. It was the headline of a story in The Washington Post in 1916 about a cat who had climbed the flue of a chimney that died after falling.

As we recognize all of this year’s graduates, let me offer a piece of advice: Be curious.

Curiosity seems to be in short supply.

In October 1939, an American educational reformer named Abraham Flexner published an essay in Harper’s magazine under the marvelous title, “The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge.” Noting the way in which the concerns of modern education increasingly turned toward solving practical problems, Flexner made a plea for “the cultivation of curiosity” for its own sake. We need to expand our horizons.

Curiosity may put you on the path for a Nobel Prize.

Isidor Isaac Rabi, was a Galician-born Jewish scientist who was awarded a Nobel Prize in physics in 1944. Like every good Jewish boy, he attributed his success to his mother. In an interview, Rabi explained the secret to his success:

“My mother made me a great scientist without ever intending it. Every other Jewish mother in Brooklyn would ask her child after school: ‘Nu? Did you learn anything today?’ But not my mother. She always asked me a different question. ‘Izzy,’ she would say, ‘did you ask a good question today?’”

Ask questions. If it seems irrelevant, ask more questions. We learn from our curiosity. We grow from our curiosity. We form deeper opinions and stronger connections when we are curious about the world around us – and beyond us.

Scott Shigeoka wrote a book entitled Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World. He identifies different levels of curiosity. There is shallow curiosity, in which we seek out data points and basic info. Deep curiosity is when we dig beneath the surface. For example, asking “What’s your name?” is an example of shallow curiosity. Asking “What’s the story behind your name?” is an attempt to understand more deeply.

Shigeoka also notes that curiosity can go in three directions: outward – around us, inward – why we feel certain things, and beyond – things beyond the physical realm like God or ancestors who have passed on.

Judaism encourages curiosity.

“Hafoch ba v’hafoch ba d’kula bah – Keep delving and investigating in search of all the answers.” (Avot 5:22)

Judaism balances the need for obedience with the ability to ask questions. This necessary synergy is captured in the word “chok,” which means a law with no meaning. On a simple level, this would seem to imply that Judaism is about following rules without asking questions or being curious about the reasons behind our obligations. That is not accurate. The Torah presents two paradigmatic chukim.

“Zot chukat ha-Torah – This is the law of the Torah.” (Bamidbar 19:2)

“Zot chukat ha-Pesach – This is the law of the Pascal lamb.” (Shemot 12:43)

 

The first verse refers to the mitzvah of parah adumah, the red cow used to purify. This ritual has no rhyme or reason. We just do it. The second verse referring to Pesach, is quite different. How do we celebrate Pesach? We ask questions!

Judaism requires obedience to obligation. With a foundation of faith and fealty, we are encouraged – and required – to be curious, ask questions, and seek a deeper level of commitment to God and humanity. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks noted, “We ask not because we doubt but because we believe.”

We are a Curious People.

According to a 2019 Pew Research Center study, 87% of Jews who consider their Jewishness to be "very important" also consider intellectual curiosity to be "essential" or "important" to their Judaism. Not all denominations are equally curious. Overall, non-Orthodox Jews are more curious than Orthodox Jews, who understandably place more of an emphasis on following tradition. At the same time, Modern Orthodox Jews are more curious than Chasidic Jews. This makes sense as Modern Orthodox Jews are more engaged with the outside world and synergize these encounters with their religious experiences.

So, graduates and non-graduates alike, in the words of Ken Burns in his Brandeis commencement speech: Be curious, not cool.

Seek out new and different opinions and push deeper into unfamiliar ideas and viewpoints. Befriend new people. Ask probing questions like: Who am I? What is the deeper meaning of what I see and hear? How can I help those around me? How do I understand God and Torah?

The key is curiosity.