When Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch ("Tzemach Tzeddek," 1789-1866) was in
Petersburg to attend the Rabbinical Convention of 1843, he received a special
permit from the Russian Minister of War to address the Jewish soldiers serving
at the military installation in nearby Kronstadt.
(This was in the days of the infamous "Cantonists" decree, when, by order of
Czar Nikolai I, six- and seven-year-old Jewish children were conscripted into
the Russian Army for a period of twenty-five years and indoctrinated into
Christianity, G-d forbid. The fact that the Rebbe was granted permission to
address the Jewish soldiers at Kronstadt was nothing less than a miracle, since
the primary purpose of their conscription was to tear them away from their
faith.)
When the Rebbe arrived, he was greeted by the waiting soldiers, who said to
him: "Rebbe! We've been toiling all morning to prepare for your coming,
polishing our buttons in your honor. Now it's your turn to work hard: polish our
souls, which have been dulled and coarsened by our many years of disconnection
from Jewish life."
Following his address, in which he encouraged their heroic efforts to cling
to their faith, the Rebbe said: "You polished your buttons with sand and water.
The soul, too, is polished with sand and water: with the holy letters of
Tehillim (Psalms) recited with a generous infusion of tears."
One of the soldiers spoke up: "But Rebbe, battles are won with joy, not
tears."
"So speaks a soldier!" said the Rebbe, with obvious satisfaction. "Yes,
you're right. A soldier enters the fray of battle to the tune of a joyous march,
not with tears. It is by the power of his joy that he is victorious even in the
most dangerous and challenging endeavors."
