The doctor looked sympathetically at the anxious young couple seated before him. “You are still young,” he reassured them. “Within ten years you will have a child. There is definite hope for that.”

Dr. K. was one of the foremost specialists in infertility in Israel. The couple in his office sat frozen in their places. Nathan leaned his head on the table and his wife Batya stared at a speck on the ceiling, trying to hold back her flood of tears. The doctor tried his best to be gentle and compassionate, but Nathan and Batya well understood his words. It took a few moments for them to compose themselves.

Nathan was already thinking about their next step. They had already been to so many clinics, seen so many specialists. It was a month before the Tishrei holidays, and Nathan thought that he and his wife would travel to New York, to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to ask for his advice and blessing.

The silence in the doctor’s office was broken by Nathan. “Can I receive a copy of the doctor’s summary of our case?”

“I’d like to give it to the Rebbe to get his opinion,” Nathan explained.

When Nathan said, “the Lubavitcher Rebbe,” the doctor’s eyes lit up. “From experience I can tell you that I can write to him as a professional colleague. He is well versed in all areas of medicine and I don’t have to explain basic principles to him.”

The doctor wrote his medical opinion on several sheets of paper and handed them to Nathan, who tried to hold on to as much hope as possible before his trip to the Rebbe.

The couple flew to New York and spend a heavenly month with the Rebbe. The highlight of their trip was a yechidus, a private audience with the Rebbe. At first, when faced with the Rebbe’s penetrating glance the couple was struck dumb. Within a few moments though, they relaxed and handed the Rebbe the doctor’s opinion as well as a letter they had written. They weren’t sure if they should remain in New York for longer to seek treatment there. Among other things, they asked the Rebbe for a blessing for a son within a year.

After several moments, which seemed like forever, the Rebbe smiled and asked the couple: “Why do you need a date on the calendar? And why only a son? It will happen sooner than you expect, and you will be blessed with sons and daughters.”

The couple was overwhelmed with gratitude. The Rebbe’s blessing exceeded all their expectations. “As to the question if you should remain here,” the Rebbe continued, “ask Dr. Seligson [the Rebbe’s personal physician, who had a hand in countless miracles] if he recommends another doctor. With G-d’s help there will be good news. When you return to Israel, continue your relationship with Dr. K.”

The couple left the Rebbe’s room filled with renewed strength. They turned first to Dr. Seligson, who recommended a doctor in Manhattan.

The doctor’s waiting room was crowded and it seemed that he was in high demand. When their turn came, they heard the doctor explain to the nurse, “This couple came to me on the recommendation of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s personal physician. Instead of my usual fee of $150, charge this couple only $25.”

The couple was gratified by the special treatment and even more so by the doctor’s expertise. He read the doctor’s report carefully and did his own exam. Nathan played with a glass on the table and Batya clenched her hands together, waiting the doctor’s opinion. Would he also send them off on an “optimistic” 10-year wait?

“Everything looks good,” the doctor declared. “I don’t see any signs of a problem. Just to make sure, come to see me next week.”

A week later, the doctor reiterated his opinion that everything was normal and added, “I am sure that as soon as you find out you are pregnant you will write to the Rebbe. I would appreciate getting a copy of that letter.”

A few weeks after they returned to Israel, Batya began to feel slightly ill and went to see a doctor. After examining her, he smiled and said, “Congratulations! You’re pregnant.” Just as the Rebbe said, their salvation came much faster than expected.

They went back to Dr. K, who at first refused to see them. “I’m sure that in the last few months you went to another doctor who offered you a different treatment. Why not go back to him?” After many requests he finally gave them an appointment. Nathan then told him all the events that happened during their trip to New York. “You told us we had many years to wait, and now we waited only a few months and everything is as it should be…”

The doctor smiled. “I gave you my opinion as a doctor, but you turned to the Rebbe who helped you from a different angle entirely…”