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Leibel Posner, a student in the central Talmudic seminary, met a student, a brilliant man, who claimed that people bore him. Leibel conversed with the boy in one of their first meetings for over five hours. Leibel did most of the talking, four of the five hours. Leibel had a hard time trying to explain to him the existence of a G-d that cannot be seen to the human eye.

During Leibel’s an audience with the “Ramash” (the Rebbe) he explained to him that it was recently discovered by scientists, that every object is made up of atoms that cannot be seen to the human eye. So even though you can’t see the atom, it has become “intelligent” to understand something that cannot be seen. And the person who does not accept this theory is considered one that is not speaking with logic!

He than explained to him how to explain the belief in a G-d that we cannot grasp in our mind: “There is a subway here in New York and an elephant in Africa, now could you imagine the elephant in the subway, yes. However if you live in Poland and you do not know what an elephant or a subway is, could you imagine an elephant in a subway? If you do not know what it is you cannot imagine it, and because you do not know what it is, does it mean that it does not exist?”

Upon the request of Leibel the student came to the Ramash. They spoke for three hours. The Rebbe convinced him to don Tefillin every day.

The Ramash once asked Leibel, does the young man don Tefillin? Leibel called him and he said that he never promised to don Tefillin, he only said that he would consider donning the Tefillin, but not that he would actually don them.

The Rebbe instructed Leibel to travel to California to help the emissary there Rabbi Shmuel Raichik, who has already been there for a few years. The Rebbe then asked again, do you know what is happening with that young man? Leibel said that he lost contact with him, but he would make an effort to track him down.

Leibel found out that he was in Los Angeles, and decided he would make contact with him there. After finally reaching him on the phone, they made a time to meet. He never showed up.

Meanwhile, in New York, the Rebbe reluctantly accepted upon himself the leadership of the Chabad community.

Leibel returned to NY a few days afterwards, the Rebbe then asked him, did you meet him? Leibel answered that unfortunately he did not. Leibel heard that he had already returned to NY from Los Angeles and tried to meet with him, however no meetings ever took place.

The young man took his life by his own hands a year later.