The Rebbe's Blessing

This story spans 28 years. It's one of countless miracle stories of the Rebbe. The only reason I write it up is, I know Dovid Marciano from 19 years ago when I attended a weekly class in Chassidus he sponsored at his home in Israel.

David Marciano married in 1982. Three years later he travelled to New York to ask the Rebbe for a blessing for children. The Rebbe blessed him, but not specifically for children. This same scenario repeated itself 4 years later. Meanwhile they visited many doctors, underwent fertility treatments, but to no avail.

In 1989 David suffered a blast during a defense department job. Both hands were amputated at the wrist and iron claws were fit to both arms. It was at this point when I got to know him. He was a magnanimous personality. Despite his severe handicap, he continued to sponsor the weekly Chassidus class. His wife prepared for us wonderful hot tea to sip as we learned.

The year thereafter, the couple travelled again to the Rebbe, determined to request a specific blessing for children. Because of his injury he could not stand for hours to wait in line, so they were sent to the front of the line to see the Rebbe. Again the Rebbe blessed them but with no reference to children.

"I don't know where I got up the nerve," he says, "but I said to the Rebbe that I want a bracha for children. The Rebbe looked at both of us in the eyes, gave us another dollar and said, 'This is for the children to be born!'".

They left the Rebbe with elevated spirits. But over the years their faith did not go untested.

Twenty years passed since the Rebbe's blessing. Finally, after 28 years of marriage with no children, David's wife became pregnant. Three months ago he dreamt, for the first time in his life, of the Rebbe, who handed him a chocolate cake. He awoke drenched in sweat. Two weeks later, in Cheshvan, he was holding a new baby boy in his arms.
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UPDATE (May 15, 2017): Bumped into Marciano in 770 on Pesach Sheini. This is one chabadinfo.com pic of him there with his son.