ArcaMax

Q: Dear Rabbi Gellman, I enjoy your column and look forward to reading it every Sunday. Regarding Fr. Tom's message to Michael, I have to wonder why Fr. Tom visited Michael and not you? Sorry, no offense, but the skeptic in me wonders if Michael could have made it up. – (From P in Farmingdale, Long Island)

A: Yes, I thought about that too but there are two big reasons why I am certain that what happened was an actual contact with the dead.

The first reason is Michael. Michael is not a psychic. He is a very successful businessman and pious Catholic. Over three decades of close friendship Michael never shared with me any paranormal experiences of any kind. He also did not know that I had asked Tommy to send me a sign after he died that Heaven was real. If Tom had visited me, there would be a suspicion that I had made this all up. By visiting Michael, Tommy was using a credible, honest third party to give more credibility to the story.

The second reason I believe that what happened was real was the name Sol. If Michael was inventing this story why would he choose to use the name Sol? It is not a common name and he had no idea that it was my dead father’s name. Why did Michael ask about Sol? The only way Michael would have known about Sol is if somebody told him. And nobody here on earth told him. Tommy told Michael and Michael asked me and the only way any of this could have happened is if ghosts are real and Heaven is real.

I know that all this is very spooky and it definitely blew up my previous theology which was filled with several large globs of skepticism about life after death but it is all true and it all has proven to me that the journey of our soul does not end at the grave but continues into the waiting and loving arms of God.

But on the other hand…

Q: I must point out that whatever “ghosts” are, they are not described in Scripture, either OT/NT as from God and/or helpful or to be heeded or believed. Hebrews 9:27: “It is appointed for man to die once, then the judgment.” Not returning to earth to help or warn people. The only possible reference is when King Saul asked the medium to call up Samuel the day before he died on Mt.Gilboa. There is no solid evidence to support the contention that it was indeed Samuel and not a deceiving spirit like the spirits that God sent to convince Ahab to go into battle in order that he might die! (See 2Chron.18:20-22). In any case NT trumps OT and anyone who dies does not return to earth to warn anyone. (Also, see Luke 16:31, He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” – (From M)

A: Dear M, I am not clear about your point here. We agree, and I have stated many times in this column, that the idea of the soul does not appear in the Hebrew Bible (The Old Testament). The Hebrew word that is mistranslated as soul is nefesh. It really means just “life” and after our body dies our nefesh ends.

The great change in Jewish and Christian theology happened after the conquests of Alexander the Great in Judea in 331 before the common era. His tutor Aristotle planted the seeds of a new philosophy in which everything in the world is made up of matter and form. These terms were integrated into Judaism just before the arrival of Jesus. Matter became the Hebrew word guf which means body. Form became the new Hebrew word, neshama which means soul. With these new concepts Judaism first and later Christianity were able to solve several daunting problems that had bedeviled the authors of biblical books like Job. Now the suffering of the innocent in this world could be corrected by divine providence in the world to come or Heaven.

The new theology of the common era also made room for souls that do not immediately enter Heaven because they have messages to convey here on earth. These spirits are the remnants of living people. Heaven also provided room for angels (Michael, Gabriel, etc.) who were never human beings, but who were created by God to assist God in the work of divine supervision of the universe. That is our view up to this day when the ghost of Tom Hartman told Michael about Sol.

(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.)

©2026 The God Squad. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c) 2026 THE GOD SQUAD DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.