Should one wish for the destruction of buildings of idol worship?

Question

Two sequential questions, prompted by the Notre Dame fire:

Is one obligated to wish that places of idol worship are consumed if they already are on fire? (I would think so, given e.g. OC 224:2)
If so, and if Christianity is considered idol worship, does the unique importance of Notre Dame make this apply less?

The Conference of European Rabbis and others sent supportive messages post facto, but that could have been a) mishum eiva and/or b) sympathy for people, but not the building itself.

Somewhat related: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/101932/15256 — Kazi bácsi, Apr 17 '19 at 07:15
Just as an interesting fact, did you know that there was a prophecy by one Rabbi 600 years ago that Notre Dame would get burned because that's where they burned Gemara? Heard it in this shiur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eCUPGGHjaE&t=2895s — Dan Weisberg, Apr 17 '19 at 20:26
Why would you not want places of idol worship to get destroyed? — Dan Weisberg, Apr 17 '19 at 20:27
@Dan Most assume the Talmud was not burned at Notre Dame nor is it clear the wish of that rabbi was towards a building and not the perpetrators. And it was 750 years ago. — Double AA, Apr 17 '19 at 20:54
@DoubleAA Thank you I just said what I heard in the shiur. Could you please provide sources i.e. the name of that Rabbi, who those "most" are, etc. Would be really interesting to study that issue in detail:) — Dan Weisberg, Apr 17 '19 at 21:35
@AlBerko To quote the CER: "Notre-Dame of Paris is a symbol of human ingenuity and endurance celebrating almost one thousand years of European and French culture and architecture." it's considered a treasure in its own right outside of its religious context. — Arithmomaniac, Apr 18 '19 at 03:41
@Arithmomaniac What do you expect from CER? To tell the truth? בכל דור ודור קמים עלינו לכלותנו and in all children Hagadahs the Christians are part of that saying alongside Pharaoh, the Greeks, the Russians, and the Nazis. Let's not forget. — Al Berko, Apr 18 '19 at 10:05

score -3 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 17 '19 at 10:44

This is only a draft answer to N.D's fire:

As Rambam discusses in the non-censored version at the end of Hil. Melachim (I think) about the importance of Christianity in overall spreading the Word of G-d, it should be weighted against two aspects:
- The possible problem of idolatry in certain branches of Christianity
- The never-ending anti-semitism that took the lives of millions of Jews in the last two millennia.
Therefore the implications of the destruction and/or restoration of a church must be weighted one against the other.
Idolatry is the antithesis to the reality to one G-d, so one who wishes to expand Hashem's presence in this world certainly must wish to annul idolatry in any way. And there are numerous verses in the Torah and Prophets that support this.

score -5 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 17 '19 at 19:15

-5

You can "wish" for whatever you want. Your thoughts are your own. I am not sure you could control them anyway. (Action is a different matter.)

answered Apr 17 '19 at 19:15

Maurice Mizrahi

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Can I wish for my neighbor's wife? – Double AA Apr 17 '19 at 19:31
@DoubleAA -- Please disclose the mechanism by which you can prevent yourself from having "bad" thoughts. Most of us don't know it. – Maurice Mizrahi Apr 17 '19 at 19:37
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The question is not whether one can but whether one should... – Dan Weisberg Apr 17 '19 at 21:36
@MauriceMizrahi Ibn Ezra on tenth commandment, summarized here: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/77351/1852 – Arithmomaniac Apr 18 '19 at 03:39
@Arithmomaniac -- We are talking about "bad" thoughts entering your mind, not about coveting. (For reference, the commandment against coveting applies only to things God said you cannot have, such as your neighbor's possessions. It does not apply to the possessions themselves in the abstract. For example, if your neighbor has a beautiful house, there is nothing wrong with you desiring to own a similar house and working hard to earn it. Otherwise, how would you ever acquire anything if you did not desire it first? The prohibition is against wanting your neighbor's house specifically.) – Maurice Mizrahi Apr 18 '19 at 13:40

Should one wish for the destruction of buildings of idol worship?

2 Answers2