Rabbi David Turgeman, the emissary of the Rebbe King Moshiach in Aubervilliers (France), last year, as usual, celebrated the autumn holidays in 770. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah (17.9.2004), going up to the second floor of the synagogue after the prayers had ended, he saw a young man sitting in the corner and praying slowly. After waiting for him to finish his prayer, David spoke to him. It turned out that the young man was also from France. David wondered why the young man did not pray in the main hall of the synagogue, downstairs. He replied that it was difficult for him to concentrate when there were too many people around and everyone was pushing, so he preferred to pray upstairs, where there was almost no one.
“But everyone downstairs is praying with the Rebbe!” said David. To his great amazement, the young man knew nothing about this. Having told him the prayer times, David took the opportunity to explain that the Rebbe is Moshiach and lives eternal life.
They began to talk. The young man told him that his sister was seriously ill and was preparing for a difficult operation. Without thinking twice, David advised him to come to the afternoon prayer at “770” and when the Rebbe came in, ask him for a blessing for a good outcome of the operation and for health.
The young man was touched by the stranger’s concern, and his words made a great impression and revived hope in his soul. At the appointed time, he stood nervously below before the prayer. 10 minutes before the prayer, he was told that the crowd was about to part, freeing the passage for the Rebbe, and it was at these seconds that he needed to ask for the Rebbe’s blessing.
For a while, David lost sight of the young man, and at the end of the prayer, he suddenly saw him standing motionless with his face downcast, tears streaming down his face. Quickly approaching him, David began to find out what had happened, what was the reason for such a strong shock. Having calmed down a little, the young man said that indeed, when the crowd parted, he saw the Rebbe entering the synagogue hall. Passing by him, the Rebbe stopped and made a sign with his hand.
“When I overcame my confusion and told him about the problem with my sister and asked for a blessing,” he continued, “the Rebbe looked at me intently, smiled and waved his hand again, as if to say that everything would be all right. Then he passed me by and I never saw him again, but this meeting made such a strong impression on me! I am shocked and excited!”
Perhaps some of those reading these lines will think that too much has been written and said lately about miraculous healings. Some may even doubt that the Rebbe’s blessing can have such power. Who knows! Each of us has our own thoughts, our own doubts. In our cynical age, it is not easy to believe in miracles. But deep down inside, we all want to believe, we want to hope, we pray to G-d, trusting in His mercy, in His boundless love.
How did our story end? Yes, you are right, a few days after the young man’s meeting with the Rebbe, the doctors reported a significant improvement in his sister’s health. And this is not fiction, this is a reliable fact! And before the logic of facts, any doubts disappear. Such is the power of the miraculous blessing of the Rebbe.