Q. Some people connect the burning of the sefarim in Paris on 1242 to the fire on Notre Dame last year. Is there anything to that? (See questions 2730 and 2746)

A. Last year on Monday evening April 15 2019, the news broke of the massive fire that almost consumed Notre Dame, the large cathedral in Paris. The fire took place, very close to the Place de Grève, the site where 777 years ago, the burning of the Talmud occurred. It was last year during the week before Pesach, and on that Monday morning we read Parshas Acharei Mos. We mentioned then the death of Aharon’s two sons, when they drew near before Hashem, and they died by fire because they offered a strange unordered fire on the mizbeach . Tragically as that was, it concurred during the inauguration of the redeeming and  life giving Mishkan, that gave us the presence of the Shechina. As mentioned above, the Torah will demand sacrifice, but at the same time it is Toras Chaim, or the giver of life.

However, Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit’a opinion is to avoid making any such connections and links with events of the past, as we may not be accurate at all.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as advised by Horav Shlomo Miller and

Horav Aharon Miller Shlit’a