This was not the first time, the Rebbe had been asked to intercede for Reb Yaakov. In 5724 (1954), Reb Yaakov had taken ill. At that time, the health care offered by the government was not very reliable, and private care was prohibitively expensive. Reb Yaakov therefore decided to ignore his ailment. Unfortunately, the ailment did not ignore him, and after several weeks he found himself confined to bed.

His condition was diagnosed as Hepatitis B, a disease which could be life-threatening. At this point, the chassidic brotherhood resolved to locate and pay for one of the most capable specialists in the field. But after examining the patient and trying several remedies without success, the specialist refused to continue treatment. “The illness has reached too advanced a stage,” he told the chassidim. “Why should I continue to treat the patient? It’s only a waste of your money. Nothing any doctor can do will save him now.”

By this time, Reb Yaakov was confined to a hospital and had lapsed into a coma. The chassidim met to consider the situation and decided that a telegram must be sent to the Rebbe. Usually, when the chassidim in Russia wanted to get a message to the Rebbe, they would encode it and send it through a chain of people to avoid detection. They realized, however, that in this situation time was of the essence, and so a telegram was drafted to Zeide (that’s the way the chassidim in Russia addressed their correspondence to the Rebbe) at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, telling of Reb Yaakov’s condition.

But to what address should the reply be sent? A telegram coming from the Rebbe could certainly arouse the interest of the Soviet authorities. Mrs. Lepkivker volunteered her address and the telegram was sent.

Shortly afterwards Mrs. Lepkivker received a reply from Zeide assuring her that the patient would recover. The woman rushed to the hospital, entered her husband’s room, and began speaking in his ear. “The Rebbe said you will recover,” she told the unconscious man, repeating the message over and over again. At first, there was no response, but soon she began to see signs of life in her husband’s face. He woke up, looked at her, and fell asleep with a smile.

The doctors were amazed that Reb Yaakov had regained consciousness. They were even more amazed when, two weeks later, he was well enough to be discharged!

After Reb Yaakov recovered, he felt he should call the specialist who had been consulted originally. When his receptionist told him that Yaakov Lepkivker was calling, the busy physician answered with irate suspicion: “How dare you use a dead man’s name to try to get an appointment with me! Don’t you have any respect?”

After Reb Yaakov managed to convince the doctor that he was indeed alive, the doctor told him to hire a cab and come to his office at once.

“I’ll pay the taxi fare,” the specialist assured him. “I just want to see with my own eyes a man who has come back from the dead!”