There has been lots of commentary back and forth, pro and con regarding the billionaires who have crawled out from under their selfish, golden and ivory rocks to place their name on the list of folks who will SAVE NOTRE DAME. There, of course, is commentary as to who owns the building, the Church or the Country of Paris, thus who really has a treasure trove of extra cash to rebuild. There is also commentary by some that no one should ever criticize the people who give to certain charities, and that charity shaming is some kind of sin. Billionaires suddenly concerned with real-life, other than their own precious selfish lives. Proudly they produce checks in bountiful sums as if the Notre Dame Cathedral is the essence of life as if the rebuild of the Notre Dame Cathedral will cease climate change, poverty, poisoned water, tainted food, famine, and drought. As if giving to the rebuild of the Notre Dame Cathedral will enhance the lives of the Sudanese, the Ethiopian, the Yemenite, the families of both Urban America and Appalachia. And the names of the billionaires is amazing, their names and their earnest look of see I have money and I make a difference. Wonderful folks, but PLEASE, have you looked beyond your own pampered and thought to be a sophisticated world view!
I made a wonderful friend, in Houston, Rabbi Eve, who taught me two things: The first was that in Judaism TZEDUCKA (the art of giving) should be anonymous, you give not for the Kovot, but for the deep-felt belief that someone else’s life is as valuable as yours. She also taught me that sometimes what is written in the Torah, the Jewish Code of law, and life and love is not necessarily the actual letters or paragraphs, but the white space between all of that, almost the space for a person to consider, what might God consider, not necessarily the words written by scholars assuming God’s desires! I am indebted to Rabbi Eve for being smart enough to show me something right in front of my face, which somehow I never noticed.
I am angry, because if suddenly there is wealth, wealth abounding to satisfy the millions needed to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral, then why the Hell is there still so much poverty, illness, lack of education, and a real misunderstanding of our dying Earth! And why the HELL do people, in cities like Los Angeles still sleep on the streets, begging for more than one meal a day, and why are they suffering from illnesses and health issues which could easily be remedied. Billionaires seem to be cunningly invisible, but they can also make those of us invisible seen again! Invisible Part two!
