The Knowledge

I couldn't help but get an overall feeling that the beginning of the book was all about genesis in many ways.  The first reason I thought of this connection is the realization or discovery after the cat eats the bird.  Once the cat eats the bird he is able to speak and even reason (because of knowledge) and is given a gift which could also be a curse.  He can no longer remain in the comfort of his mistress just as Adam and Eve could no longer remain in the Garden of Eden.  Even the rabbi says once you have left the garden you cannot go back implying that the cat has left the garden/place of innocence and has been changed forever by eating the bird aka the forbidden fruit.
There was another reference to the word of God and that is towards the middle of the book when Sfar and the Rabbi meet up.  Sfar is a singer and I even think represents the not written word, possibly the oratory traditions.  The rabbi would then respresent the written word and more patricularly the Torah (of course).  When the two head up the hill on pg 84 I couldn't help but think of the way the word was revealed to both Muhammed and Moses, in the mountain side.  This is of course another symbol on commonality and common ancestry.
My favorite part of the book was the middle, when Sfar and the rabbi meet and spend an evening talking, praying, and singing.  I enjoy the way the author wove in threads from each culture even though some you would not know unless you knew a bit about Islam.  The Sufi reference on page 87 was my favorite panel simply because even when you see islamic references it is seldomly specific to the mystical side of Islam.  I enjoyed the subtle linguistic hints from the author (words that were similar in both languages) even though overall I was not a big fan of the book.  The way culture was revealed (both subtly and outwardly) was thoroughly enjoyable.