The chasidim regarded Reb Pesach of Malastovker with utmost respect. He was a noted scholar, a devout chasid, a master of nigunim [Chasidic melodies] and physically robust. He merited a long life and had the opportunity to establish a connection with the Alter Rebbe, the Mittler Rebbe, and the Tzemach Tzedek.
Once, he courageously warded off a group of hoodlums who attempted to attack a Jewish girl. The would-be attackers vowed to take revenge and chased Reb Pesach, who took refuge in a yard stocked with large barrels, hiding beneath one of the barrels where they could not spot him. Enraged at the loss of their prey, they slashed the barrels with their swords. Although they did not discover Reb Pesach, their slashes wounded his skull. Some time later, Reb Pesach visited the Alter Rebbe and related the incident, complaining that the wound caused him constant head pain. The Alter Rebbe grasped Reb Pesach’s head and the pain ceased.
After the Alter Rebbe passed away, Reb Pesach began to feel acute pain from the old wound. At his next meeting with the Mittler Rebbe, Reb Pesach told him of his agony. The Mittler Rebbe, too, grasped his head and the pain receded.
Upon the passing of the Mittler Rebbe, Reb Pesach again experienced intense pain. He traveled to the Tzemach Tzedek who relieved his agony, as his predecessors had done in the past.
Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef Rivlin was one of the prominent chasidim of the Mittler Rebbe and, afterwards, of the Tzemach Tzedek. He fell ill with tuberculosis and the adhesions from his lungs became attached to his rib cage. The doctors told him that his days were numbered and, with this pessimistic report, he approached the Tzemach Tzedek.
The Tzemach Tzedek replied, ‘The Ramah, upon whom the Ashkenazic halachic tradition is based, rules that an animal with such a condition is trefe (i.e., that it will die within a year). Rav Yosef Karo, upon whom the Sephardic tradition is based, rules that such as animal is kosher. Travel to Israel where Rav Yosef Karo’s rulings are accepted as law.’
Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef followed this advice and lived twenty years longer in Israel. Once, however, he journeyed back to Lubavitch to see the Tzemach Tzedek. The Tzemach Tzedek, startled by his appearance, asked him to explain himself. Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef related, ‘Though fish spend their entire lives in water, when it rains, they rise to the surface. Why? They want to receive water from heaven...’
One Shabbat afternoon, as Dr. Lieberman napped, he dreamt that a distinguished-looking man was standing before him and reciting passages from the Mishna. He listened and recognized the teachings, for they concerned the requirement to treat critically ill women in labor even when the desecration of the Shabbat was involved. When he awoke, he pondered over the strange dream. Though the issue was obviously related to his occupation, he wondered about the identity of the figure in his dream.
His thoughts were interrupted by his attendant. ‘Doctor, someone is waiting to see you. He says it is an emergency.’
A very anxious-looking man entered the study. ‘I am from Horodok. My wife has been in labor for many hours and is in critical condition. Please come see her; it is a matter of life and death.’
‘What a strange coincidence,’ mused the doctor. Still under the impression of the dream, he agreed to accompany the man. Though there were several complications, the doctor’s timely arrival and professional experience enabled him to deliver a healthy baby.
Two months later a telegram arrived at Dr. Lieberman’s home from the Rebbe Rashab’s [the fifth Lubavitcher Rebbe] home in Lubavitch, requesting him to come to Lubavitch to make a house call. The doctor came, examined the patient, and discussed his treatment with Rebbetzin Shterna Sorah. While they were speaking, the Rashab entered the room. Seeing the Rebbe for the first time, the doctor recognized him as the person who had appeared to him in his dream.
When he related his dream to the Rashab, the Rebbe shrugged. ‘I know nothing about your dream. I do recall the man from Horodok describing his wife’s complicated pregnancy to me. He asked me whether to hire a doctor or a specialist to deliver the baby. I advised him not to call upon a specialist since labor and delivery is often prolonged and a specialist usually makes brief visits. I suggested that he summon a doctor and recommended you.’