The Healer Who Came to the Bedside

Elazar Nissan was the only son of the Yismach Moshe. When he was nine years old he fell gravely ill. The Yismach Moshe and his wife watched their child burn with fever, and the doctors gave little hope.

The Yismach Moshe decided that his son's life depended on the tefillos of someone greater than himself. He sent two faithful Jews to Lizhensk to daven at the tziyun (resting place) of the Rebbe Reb Elimelech, the Noam Elimelech. He told them what to do. When they reached the beis hachaim they were to say aloud that they were taking on a neder to give a coin to tzedakah for the sake of the neshama that would carry it to the holy soul of the Rebbe Reb Elimelech on High.

He explained that this would stir all the neshamos hovering near the tziyun. In the world of truth the merit of a mitzvah is very precious, so each neshama would try to be first to reach the Rebbe Reb Elimelech and have the coin's merit counted for itself. After that, he said, they should go up to the tziyun and daven there for his son's refuah. He also asked them to note the exact time they davened, so that it could be compared when they returned. The two men listened carefully and set out.

Some time later the boy woke from his feverish dreams and called out, "Tatty, Tatty." When his father hurried over, he said, "From now on I will get better. I will not be sick anymore, and I will get up out of bed and be well." The Yismach Moshe asked, "My son, how do you know?" The boy answered, "Tatty, just this minute a great Rebbe came to see me." He described exactly how the Rebbe Reb Melech looked, and said, "He blessed me that I should get better and be healthy from now on."

The Yismach Moshe noted the time. When the two messengers returned and compared notes, the hour of the child's recovery matched, to the minute, the hour they had been davening at the tziyun.