It was still dark outside, but the clock said that it was 4 a.m. and the sun would soon be rising. That was the hour that Dr. Atara Hasofer entered the office of the Lubavitcher Rebbe for a private audience, yechidut.

At the conclusion of the yechidut, the Rebbe inquired of Dr. Hasofer what her travel plans were after leaving Brooklyn and where she planned to stay. Dr. Hasofer responded that she planned to travel to Montreal and would stay with her old friends. When she mentioned their names, the Rebbe’s face suddenly grew serious.

“He was here to see me over 20 years ago,” the Rebbe remarked. “Since then he has published a book and I am very surprised that he did not send me a copy.” As an afterthought the Rebbe concluded with a cryptic remark: “As to his daughter in Jerusalem, tell him not to worry.”

Their daughter? In Jerusalem? Dr. Hasofer did not quite understand what the Rebbe meant, but as someone who had already been entrusted with various missions of the Rebbe, she resolved to relay the message to her friends exactly as the Rebbe had said.

The next day Dr. Hasofer flew to Montreal and within a short time she was in the home of her friends. She was about to go lie down to rest up from her journey when she remembered the message the Rebbe had given her. She went back to the living room and told her hosts what the Rebbe had said.

Her host was flabbergasted that the Rebbe remembered him after so many years, after seeing so many people. “The Rebbe knew about the book I published, and wanted a copy?” he said, dumbfounded. But what really shocked the couple was the Rebbe’s last statement about their daughter in Jerusalem. How did the Rebbe know they had a daughter there? And what did he mean not to worry? They had not heard about any problems that she was having, and they were in regular contact.

Dr. Hasofer explained to her hosts that the Rebbe, as the leader of the Jewish people, is sensitive to the needs of each individual Jew. The Rebbe was thus aware of what was happening with their daughter despite never having met her.

It was late that evening and the family was about to go to bed when the phone suddenly rang. Her host answered and his face paled as he listened. Dr. Hasofer was sure the message concerned his daughter in Jerusalem.

After hanging up the phone, the host revealed that Hadassah Hospital of Jerusalem had just called. Their daughter had been involved in a serious car accident and was brought to the hospital in critical condition. She had just been taken in for surgery and the doctors were very worried about the outcome. “It would be best for you to fly out here as soon as you can,” the hospital staff advised the father.

The family was concerned, but not hysterical. The usual panic that accompanies news of this sort was absent in this case – only because of the Rebbe’s reassurance, which they had received in advance. The parents made plans for a trip to Israel, but without undue haste. The Rebbe’s words were unequivocal and they had no reason to fear.

The doctor in Hadassah Hospital did not quite share the parents’ optimism. “Please understand that the situation is critical. There is very little chance of her making a full recovery.”

The father boarded the plane with the Rebbe’s reassuring words reverberating in his mind. “Tell him not to worry about his daughter in Jerusalem.”

As soon as he landed in Israel he rushed to his daughter’s bedside. When he reached the hospital he was greeted by pandemonium – doctors and nurses running towards his daughter’s room. His first thought was, had she taken a turn for the worse?

A number of doctors greeted him and told him about the miracle that had just taken place – within the last few hours she had made a sudden, unexpected recovery.

The doctors were amazed at how calmly the father took this news. Unable to restrain himself, he shared the entire story – his guest who had transmitted a puzzling message from the Rebbe, a message that had given them hope and courage through the most trying times.