Elimelech Seidman was a US army chaplain who in the fall of ‘91 was serving in Frankfurt, Germany. He had been visiting the States, and was due to return to Germany from New York. Before leaving, he called one of his fellow chaplains, Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein, partly to talk army business, and partly because they were old friends.

“Now that you’re in New York,” Rabbi Goldstein said, “you’ve got to come to the Rebbe to receive a dollar.”

Elimelech had other plans, but it was impossible to say No to Rabbi Goldstein. And so, a few hours later, the two met in uniform outside 770.

Rabbi Goldstein instructed Elimelech to write a short note asking for a blessing, to put that note on the Rebbe’s table, and tell him his name, rank and posting.

Elimelech did exactly as Rabbi Goldstein told him. When he approached the Rebbe, he placed the note on the table and told the Rebbe his name and rank.

“You’ve written to me before, haven’t you?” the Rebbe asked.

“Well, I wrote a note just now,” Elimelech answered.

“I mean a while ago,” the Rebbe continued.

“I don’t remember,” Elimelech responded.

Rabbi Goldstein said something tactful to smooth things over, and the two departed. Afterwards, Elimelech heard that a friend, Rabbi Yossi Shemtov, the shliach in Tucson, Arizona, whom he had shared a relationship while serving as a chaplain in that area, was visiting in Crown Heights that day and stopped by to pay him a call.

He told Rabbi Shemtov about his meeting with the Rebbe, and Rabbi Shemtov reminded him that, five years before, Elimelech and his wife had been childless. They had seen many doctors, but none had been able to help. When he had mentioned the matter to Rabbi Shemtov, he was advised to write the Rebbe. “You may not receive a written answer,” Rabbi Shemtov had told him, “but I can assure you that the Rebbe takes note of every letter written to him. And he will pray for anyone who needs a blessing.”

Elimelech had thought to himself: “We have been seeing so many doctors, why not give this approach a chance?” He wrote the letter, and did not receive a written answer.

But now, he was certain that the Rebbe indeed kept all letters in mind. He had forgotten about the letter, but the Rebbe who had received so many thousands of letters in the interim had remembered.

Elimelech was also a little remorseful; he had missed an opportunity. In those five years, he and his wife had been blessed with two children. Just as he had asked the Rebbe for a blessing, he should have shared the good news that his wish had been granted.