ArcaMax

Since Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas kind of bump up against each other this year, I send out to you all this old favorite God Squad, and with it my blessings for a year to find each other.

Q: I recently emailed my 8-year-old grandson, Zac, and asked for his Christmas wish list. He replied with the usual things; a Nerf gun, a pack of Pokemon cards, a remote-controlled helicopter and last on the list, A Note From God. This is an amazing request and I would like to honor it and am asking you for your help in fulfilling his wish. Thanks. – (J from Landisville, Pennsylvania.)

A: Dear Zac, my name is Marc Gellman. I am a rabbi and in the newspaper I give advice to people about God things. Your grandfather sent me your Christmas list and asked for my help in getting you the last thing. I hope you get all the other stuff on your list, especially the remote-controlled helicopter. A few years ago, I bought one for my grandson, Zeke, and he flew it into our dog Miles. I hope yours works better than his. Anyway, your grandpa was not writing to me for advice about toy helicopters. He was asking my help in getting you a note from God. I don’t know how to do this for you, but what I did do is write you a note by myself that is the kind of note I wish God would send you.

From God to Zac:

Dear Zac, the main thing I want to tell you – the most important thing I want you to know – is that I love you and I will always be with you, and you should never be afraid because you are never alone. OK, that is not exactly one thing, but it is sort of one thing.

I made you special and I gave you blessings which means that I made you good at some things. As you grow up, I want you to figure out what you are good at and I want you to use what you are good at to help yourself and your family and your nation and your world. Mostly I want you to use your special gifts (which does not include a Nerf gun) to help other people who have not figured out their blessings and who are lonely and poor and afraid. I care about what you do for yourself, but I really care about what you do for others. Be a kind person, Zac.

I also hope you will be honest. The only thing you have that matters is your good name. Cheaters and liars have given up the only thing I gave them that they can’t buy and can’t replace. Do the right thing and everything will work out for you. I promise. If you hang out with cheaters it may not look that way, but it is that way. Be an honest person, Zac.

I hope you can learn to say thank you as easily as you breathe in and out. Thank you is a sign to me that you are grateful for what you have. Why don’t you start with saying thank you to your parents and your grandpa, even before you open your presents and even before you fly your new remote-controlled helicopter into the pie your mom baked for dessert after Christmas dinner. Saying thank you is not just what you say after you get stuff. If you have time, you might thank me for sending Jesus on this his birthday, which is the real meaning of Christmas. Jesus is the best and only Christmas present a little Christian boy like you needs on his list and saying thank you is the only price I set for that great gift. Be a good Christian, Zac.

Some day when you are much older – like your grandpa is now – not old but just older, you are going to have your own grandchild just like your grandpa has you. You are going to love that child just the way your grandpa loves you now. On that Christmas you will know why your grandpa wrote to a rabbi about your Christmas list. On that Christmas, many, many, years from now your grandpa will be in heaven and Rabbi Gellman will be in heaven. So do me a favor, Zac. On that Christmas Day, I want you to find Rabbi Gellman’s grandson, Zeke, who is about your age now. Tell Zeke the story of how your grandpa asked his grandpa for help in getting you a note from God. Then wish Zeke a Happy Hanukkah, and he will wish you a Merry Christmas. That is all I want from you now. That is all I want.

I bless you, Zeke.

I bless you, Zac.

Happy Hanukkah!

Merry Christmas!

(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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