At one point, three sons of a Crown Heights chassid had medical problems. Two of the boys had small hernias and one had a large birthmark on his face that had begun to expand. The concerned parents consulted two doctors, and both recommended surgery for all three boys.

The family decided that they would like the surgery to be performed by Dr. Mestel, a world-famous pediatric surgeon who was also an observant Jew. They made an appointment with the doctor, who concurred with the other doctors’ diagnoses. With regard to the hernias, an operation was clearly necessary. With regard to the birthmark, however, the doctor said as follows: “Even if it does not expand any further, such a growth will never disappear. If surgery is performed now, only a small scar will be left; it will probably not even be noticeable. But if the surgery is postponed, a larger scar will be made. Moreover,” he said, turning to the chassid, “you’ll probably want your son to have a beard just like yours. If the surgery is done later, his beard will never cover that part of his face.”

The doctor then volunteered to arrange for surgery for all three boys on the same day, and for them to share a room together. While he was making the calls necessary for these arrangements, the husband told the wife that since this was the third doctor to make the same recommendations, he was willing to accept the plan, but that they could agree to nothing without the consent of the Rebbe. Needless to say, the wife agreed.

When the doctor returned, the husband told him that he personally agreed to the operation, but would not make any binding commitment until he consulted the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Dr. Mestel immediately expressed his respect for the Rebbe and added: “Go ahead and call the Rebbe. I know what he will tell you. He will tell you to consult with another doctor before agreeing. I have no difficulty with that.”

The chassid informed the Rebbe that he had consulted three doctors, and that all three were of the opinion that surgery was necessary for each of the boys.

Within half an hour, the Rebbe answered. With regard to the two hernias, he agreed to the surgery. But about the birthmark, the Rebbe asked: “Why is that necessary?”

Needless to say, the chassid did not allow the third operation. Within four weeks, the boy’s birthmark began to change color, and shortly afterwards it disappeared.