Message from Rabbi Benson About Notre-Dame

The blessing to say over something truly inspiring made by human hands is, "may it be God's will that the Divine Presence should rest in the work of your hands."  This blessing was most certainly true of the Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, the truly magnificent work of human ingenuity which sadly suffered a great fire yesterday.  To see such a marvel of civilization burning cannot but give us pause and sadden our hearts.  Even if we are not French, even if we are not Catholic, even if the building was adorned with the requisite statue personifying to the medieval mind the sorry state of the Jews (though the "Synagogue" of Notre Dame is perhaps the finest example of such), we unite with all decent people to offer our sympathies and expressions of support during this time that such a gift to humanity should be speedily restored and rebuilt.