Four rabbis engaged in frequent theological arguments. Of the four, three always agreed and declared the fourth to be wrong. One day, the odd rabbi out, couldn’t take it any more, and decided to appeal to a higher authority. “Oh, God!” he cried. “I know in my heart I am right, and they are wrong! Please send a sign to prove it to them!”
It was a beautiful, sunny day. As soon as the fourth rabbi finished his prayer, a storm cloud moved across the sky above the four. It rumbled once and dissolved. “A sign from God, see! I’m right, I knew it!” But the other three disagreed, pointing out that storm clouds form on hot days.
So the fourth rabbi prayed again. “Oh, God, I need a bigger sign to show I am right, and they are wrong. So please, God, send a bigger sign!” This time four storm clouds appeared, rushed toward each other to form one big cloud, and a bolt of lightning slammed into a tree on a nearby hill. “I told you I was right!” cried the rabbi, but his friends insisted nothing had happened that couldn’t be explained by natural causes.
The rabbi was getting ready to ask for a very big sign, but just as he said, “Oh God…,” the sky turned pitch black, the earth shook, and a deep, booming voice intoned, “HEEEE’S RIIIIGHT!” The rabbi turned to the other three, and said, “Well?”
“So,” shrugged one of the other rabbis, “now it’s 3 to 2.”