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Q: I enjoy reading your column every week. I have been reading it since long before Tommy left. You were both so down to earth and understanding of different faith traditions. Thank you. I think I have a God Winks candidate.

Many years ago I was dreaming that the phone rang and my beloved uncle (and godfather) was on the line and greeted me. He said, “Just wanted to let you know I am fine.” And hung up. A short time later the phone really rang, and I answered. It was my cousin (also one of his many godchildren) telling me that my uncle had died. I told her that I already knew it. She was astounded (we lived 700 miles apart) but I explained to her that he had told me himself that he was fine. He had such great faith and love for God. I knew he was in Heaven. – (From L)

A: This is a very high level God wink. It is a direct communication from the dead to a specific person with a specific message. It is actually a double message as you clearly understand. The first is that “I am dead." This message proves that communication with the dead is possible, though obviously rare and unpredictable. The second message is that the life of our soul after death is not a life of torment and torture but a life of joy in the presence of God and those we loved. Your uncle had great faith to deliver these messages, and you have great faith to be able to hear them.

Q: I am not sure this is a God wink but it has given me much comfort. The hymn, “Be Not Afraid” is one of my favorite hymns and it has appeared unexpectedly in my life. Once, I was only half listening to the sermon when our pastor said, “Do not be afraid!” A few days later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was non-invasive, and I was fine, but before I was fine, I was not afraid because I knew God had me in His palm. – (From L)

A: Dear L, your moving email of faith and hope is an inspiration. It also reminds us of the most frequently used phrase in the Hebrew Bible (and the New Testament), al tirah, “be not afraid,” which appears more than 200 times. So the question is, “ Why should we not be afraid?”

The answer is found as I have taught you often, in Psalm 23, “I shall fear no evil because thou art with me.” Our hope comes from our belief that we are not alone and that the being who is accompanying us through the journey of our life is none other than God. It is the heart of faith to overcome fear – the fear of sin and the fear of death. You do not need a “special effects” God wink to have this hopefulness. Sometimes an ancient verse of wisdom in an ancient sacred text can serve as a personal revelation of God’s loving presence in our lives.

Q: My husband passed away in March after six years of multiple medical issues. During that time, I took care of his every need (nothing out of the ordinary, just what you do when you love someone). His son was coming from the West Coast so there was an extra day before services. I wanted to get out of the house and decided to go for a manicure. I have salon business cards in a drawer with a rubber band. I decided to get rid of old outdated cards and was looking through a pile when I found a note from my husband. It read "Thank you for your loving care. I love you, too.” The last thing I told him was that I loved him. There was no reason why I should have looked through those cards and I have no idea when he placed that note in a drawer among a pile of cards I rarely access. But, I do know it was a God wink. I still miss him every day but when I look at that note I feel comfort. –

(From J)

A: Wonderful wink, dear J. Thank you for sharing it. What your experience of finding a love note tucked into a pile of business cards shows us is that a God wink can occur without any violation of natural law and yet still be a supernatural event. We learn this from the Bible.

In the Book of Genesis, Jacob sends his son Joseph to find his brothers in the fields and make peace with them. The brothers were not where Jacob said they would be but a stranger meets Joseph and redirects him to his brothers. This was just a natural event, but it caused a dramatic change in Israelite history. Sometimes a natural event has supernatural implications.

(Send ALL QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS to The God Squad via email at godsquadquestion@aol.com. Rabbi Gellman is the author of several books, including “Religion for Dummies,” co-written with Fr. Tom Hartman. Also, the new God Squad podcast is now available.)

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