While leading the Friday evening services, the Rabbi noticed a member of the congregation, Bernie, walk in with a St. Bernard dog. The Rabbi, horrified, asked the Cantor to take over the service and went to talk to Bernie.
“What are doing here with a dog?”
“The dog came here to pray.”
“Oh, come on,” says the Rabbi.
“It’s true,” says Bernie.
“I don’t believe you. You are just fooling around and that’s not a proper thing to do in a synagogue.”
“It’s really true,” says Bernie.
“OK,” says the Rabbi (thinking he would call Bernie’s bluff), “then show me what the dog can do.”
“OK,” says Bernie nodding to the dog. The dog opens up the barrel under his neck and removes a yarmulke, a tallis (and puts them on) and prayer book and then starts saying prayers in Hebrew!
The Rabbi is so shocked he listens for a full 15 minutes. When the Rabbi regains his composure, he is so impressed with the quality of the praying he says to Bernie. “Do you think your dog would consider going to Rabbinical school?”
Bernie, throwing up his hands in disgust says, “You talk to him; he wants to be a doctor!”