I arrived for interrogation at the offices of the Soviet GPU. However, in keeping with my principles, I was not very cooperative. One of the interrogators raised a revolver that sat on the desk before him. He looked me in the eye and mockingly said, “This small toy has incredible powers. It causes principles to melt away. It opens mouths. Under its spell, even mutes have become talkative.”
I responded, ” You are quite mistaken. That toy only has an effect on fainthearted nonbelievers, those with one world and multiple gods. We, on the other hand, have one God and two worlds. As such, I don’t panic at the sight of your toy; it has no effect on me whatsoever.”
Yosef Yitschak Schneersohn
(adapted from the book of Hasichot 5680)
-ABOUT THE AUTHOR-
Rabbi Yosef Yitschak Schneerson
1880-1950
Chasidic rebbe, prolific writer, and Jewish activist. Rabbi Yosef Yitschak, the 6th leader of the Chabad movement, actively promoted Jewish practice in Soviet Russia and was arrested for these activities. After his release from prison and exile, he settled in Warsaw Poland, from where he fled the Nazi occupation and arrived in New York in 1940. Settling in Brooklyn, Rabbi Schneerson worked to revitalize American Jewish life.