“My most memorable encounter with the Rebbe took place at my first yechidus,” a shliach in a Mid-Western city recalls. “I was eight years old. My family had taken great strides in increasing their Jewish practice due to the influence of the local shliach, and because of a unique relationship my father had established with the Rebbe.

“At home, we had been told much about how great the Rebbe was, and now I was encountering him first hand. After speaking to my father and mother, the Rebbe turned to my sister and myself, and asked for our Hebrew names.

“My sister answered at once, but I was too overcome with awe to speak. My father pushed me: ‘Dovid, tell the Rebbe your name,’ but I was just too nervous to get a word out.

“The Rebbe diverted the conversation, and shortly afterwards, the yechidus ended.

“On the following day, I was playing on the lawn outside 770 with some of the children of the family that was hosting us. Suddenly, it was announced that the Rebbe was leaving for home. I rushed to the walkway and stood at attention as the Rebbe strode down the stairs.

“He stopped and stood still right in front of me. ‘Now, can you tell me your Hebrew name?” he asked.

“ ‘Sure, it’s Dovid,’ I replied. The Rebbe smiled and walked on.

“Over 20 years have passed, and yet I still marvel at how deeply that encounter touched me.”