The Blessing of Alexander

When Meir Dan was only eleven months old, he fell mortally ill. The doctors of Kutno refused to treat him any further, because they saw no way to save his life. His father, Rav Chaim Yitzchok, rushed to the home of his Rebbe, Rav Chanoch Henich HaKohen of Alexander, and poured out his heart. The Rebbe gave him a blessing for a complete recovery, but Rav Chaim Yitzchok stayed on in pain. He knew what the doctors had said before he left home, and he had left his baby son at the very edge of death.

“Why are you worried?” the Rebbe said. “You will yet have much pleasure from him. He will be a great rav in Yisroel.” Rav Chaim Yitzchok pulled himself together, no longer hurried to return to his sick child and stayed for a while in Alexander in the presence of his Rebbe. In the meantime the little boy slowly regained his strength. When he grew up and gained understanding, he showed exceptional ability and unusual sharpness of mind, and he was thought of as a prodigy even before he was brought to cheder.