Rabbi Zalman Gurary had a friend who had married late in life. The friend had four children, and his entire life revolved around them. Unfortunately, one of his daughters developed a dangerously swelling cyst. The doctors advised an operation to remove it, but the man was reluctant to subject the young girl to surgery. Instead, he asked Rabbi Gurary to arrange yechidus so that he could consult the Rebbe. If the Rebbe advised surgery, he would go ahead without compunction.

When the yechidus was arranged, the man asked Rabbi Gurary to accompany him.

At yechidus, the concerned father asked the Rebbe if the surgery should go ahead. The Rebbe answered that it was already the last days of Kislev, and he doubted the procedure could be performed immediately. It would be unwise, the Rebbe continued, for the cyst to be removed in the months of Teves or Shvat. They should wait, he concluded, and have the surgery scheduled for Adar, a month associated with happiness and well-being.

Then the Rebbe inquired about the school the girl was attending. The man named a neighborhood Jewish day school which, though orthodox, was more modern and leaning toward compromise.

“It would be better for her to study in Beis Yaakov,” the Rebbe said. He continued: “In previous generations, there was less emphasis on the chinuch girls received at school. Today, that is no longer true. Therefore, I am speaking to you about this matter.”

The man replied that he thought his daughter was receiving an excellent education at the school she was attending.

The Rebbe responded sternly: “Chinuch is my field, and medicine is not. Why do you ask me about medicine and not about chinuch?

The man looked at the Rebbe without replying, then thanked him for his advice. He did postpone the surgery, but didn’t enroll his daughter in Beis Yaakov.

About a month later, Rabbi Gurary was walking down Eastern Parkway when he happened to meet an acquaintance who was also a friend of the man whose daughter had the cyst. Rabbi Gurary was bound for Manhattan and knew this man worked there, so he asked if he could ride with him.

Rabbi Gurary’s acquaintance consented, adding: “I’m really happy I ran into you. Do you know why I am in Crown Heights?”

Rabbi Gurary did not, and so his acquaintance continued: “It’s about so and so’s daughter. The cyst became so badly infected, the girl developed a high fever and had to be hospitalized. Moreover, because of the infection, it’s impossible to perform the surgery now.

“Why did the Rebbe mix into a medical matter? It’s none of his business. I was here consulting with another Rabbi in the community.”

Rabbi Gurary was very disturbed that following the Rebbe’s advice appeared to have had negative consequences. When he returned from Manhattan, he asked for a meeting to tell the Rebbe what had happened.

Permission was granted and Rabbi Gurary told the Rebbe of the girl’s turn for the worse. “Did the father enroll her in Beis Yaakov? ” the Rebbe asked.

Rabbi Gurary did not know for sure, but assumed that the father had not, and so remained silent.

“Tell him to enroll her in Beis Yaakov, ” the Rebbe said, bringing the yechidus to an end.

Rabbi Gurary felt uncomfortable. His acquaintance had implied that the father currently had less than positive feelings toward the Rebbe, and there was no way the girl could attend school now anyway; she was in the hospital. And the man had said that he was happy with his daughter’s school. How could he call him now and tell him to enroll her in Beis Yaakov?

But Rabbi Gurary was a chassid; there was no question but that he would do what the Rebbe told him. And he also knew that the Rebbe appreciated all the factors involved and if, despite this, he still wanted him to communicate the message, it must be vital to the girl’s health. Under the circumstances, he could not let himself be deterred by what others might take to be proper social graces.

He called the father and communicated the Rebbe’s message, stressing how important it was that the man hear him out. When the father heard Rabbi Gurary’s sincerity, he began to think differently. Although the girl was unable to attend school, he called Beis Yaakov to enroll her.

A few days later, the cyst burst. All the pus drained, and the girl was discharged from hospital shortly thereafter. She became an eager pupil at Beis Yaakov, participating in every aspect of the school’s activities.

Rabbi Gurary related the story to the Rebbe, and told him that everyone was marveling at the miracle.

The Rebbe responded: “The greatest miracle is that you went ahead and conveyed the message at the right time.”