One afternoon in Detroit, USA, a religious couple came out of the airport in a rental car, en route to the wedding of an acquaintance, which was to take place in this city. A police van pulled out of a street corner, and the policeman signaled them to stop on the side of the road, for a minor traffic offense.

"We are not from the here'', the couple attempted to justify themselves. ''We are passing through Detroit and we do not know the roads here. "

The African-American policeman did not let himself be impressed by their arguments:

"Are you from New York?" he asked them.

''Yes''.

''Are you Chassidim of Chabad?''

''Yes, how do you know?'' they asked.

''I know how to identify the Chassidim of Chabad because I bear the name of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. My name is Menachem Mendel''.

The couple, stupefied, did not believe their ears. "You? A non-Jewish policeman have such a Jewish name? How? What is your connection with Chabad Chassidus?"

The policeman answered them: "Ten years ago, my parents lived in New York, and my father worked as a taxi driver. One day he drove two rabbis who told him that they were on their way to meet the pious Rabbi of Lubavitch, to ask for advice and to be blessed.

My father inquired as to how to proceed to be blessed by the Rav. They told him that it was only necessary to tell his difficulties and his troubles to the Rav and then ask for his blessing.

"And how does this blessing help?" He asked. "It helps in all areas, for the tzaddik is always dedicated to doing the will of the Creator, and at all times he thinks, how can I fulfill the will of Hashem? When the Tzaddik makes a request to the Creator, He restores his trust and accomplishes his will."

As the two rabbis got out of the cab, my father gathered his courage and asked if he, as a non-Jew, could ask the Rebbe for a blessing. They answered in the affirmative, the Rav also blessed non-Jews.

My father parked his car next to the Rabbi's house and queued with the rabbis to receive a blessing. When his turn arrived, he told the Rebbe that he had been married for many years and had not been blessed with children. He asked the Rebbe to bless him and my mother to have a child. The Rebbe smiled at him and blessed him, and indeed, less than a year later, a child was born to them, and that child is me, the Puerto Rican policeman.

Thanks to this miracle and thanks to the Rav who had blessed them, my parents decided to name their son after the name of the Rav: they called me Menachem Mendel.

And if you do not believe me, here is my passport, look at it, you will see that that is really my name.''