Every Thursday, a syndicated religious advice column called “The God Squad” appears in newspapers across the country. It’s written by Marc Gellman, senior rabbi at Temple Beth Torah in Melville, New York. For years, Rabbi Gellman co-wrote the column with his good friend Monsignor Thomas Hartman until Hartman’s health declined due to Parkinson’s disease.
Last week’s article concerned signs from God. A reader wrote to Rabbi Gellman:
“A few weeks ago, I was told I might have cancer and needed a biopsy. … I silently asked, addressing no deity in particular, for a sign that I’d be cancer-free. I wanted to be certain of the sign, so I asked to see something uncommon: a tiger with the face first and the body behind.
After dinner, I found myself flipping channels when I landed on a baseball game, the Texas Rangers vs. the Detroit Tigers. As I watched the game, for a moment the camera panned to a realistic statue of a tiger at Detroit Stadium (face first, body behind it). Two weeks later, I got my test results. I’m cancer-free.”
Rabbi Gellman responded with a story he’s rarely told, about his own “tiger sign” from God—one that changed his life forever:
“Twenty-four years ago, at Passover/Easter time, I was living in New York, serving as a rabbi, when I was offered the same position at a synagogue in Florida. It was a large synagogue, it had a school with many children, and it was near very good golf courses. For some reason, I just couldn’t make a decision. So, for the first and only time in my life, I asked God for a sign.
The next day, I went over to News 12 Long Island to do a brief interview. Passover and Easter were close together that year and the newsperson wanted to ask me and some priest about the differences … I replied, ‘There are no chocolate bunnies in Passover and there’s no horseradish in Easter.’ Obviously, my mind was somewhere else.”
After the taping, Rabbi Gellman spent a long time talking with the priest. Before saying goodbye, he told the priest that he seemed like a nice guy, but unfortunately, they wouldn’t see each other again. “I’m accepting a new position in Florida,” the rabbi said.
The priest looked at him and said in a quiet but firm voice, “You are not going there.”
“Are you in the habit of intruding in other people’s lives?” the rabbi asked incredulously.
“I’ve never said anything like this before,” the priest responded. “But last night, in my dreams, God came to me and said I’d be meeting someone today and that I was supposed to tell him, ‘You are not going, because I’m not through with you here.’ ”
The rabbi was speechless. This was his sign. “I called the Florida synagogue and declined the offer. Asked why, I said, ‘I asked God for a sign and God sent me an angel to deliver the message.’ The reply was something like, ‘Rabbi, we’re glad you turned us down, because you’re nuts.’ “
And who was this priest who delivered God’s message? Monsignor Thomas Hartman.
The rabbi and the priest quickly became best friends. Until Hartman’s retirement in 2007, the God Squad used their diverse knowledge of faith to help people around the country answer their spiritual questions.
Now Rabbi Gellman asks his readers to pray for his friend. You can learn about Thomas Hartman and his foundation for Parkinson’s research at his website.
What “tiger signs” have you asked for? Did you get an answer you didn’t expect? Send your story to mw@guideposts.org or share your thoughts in the comments below.
