Reb Yankele Galinsky, zt”l, tells that when he was in a Siberian prison, one of his cellmates would awaken in the middle of the night, dress in an army uniform, and march about the room, pretending to give demands to people. One night, Reb Yankele asked him why he did this. The prisoner was embarrassed; he didn’t realize that he was being watched. Reb Yankele promised he wouldn’t tell anyone, and that he was just curious to know why he was doing this charade.
The prisoner replied, “I was a powerful general in the German army. Hundreds of soldiers were under my command. I don’t want to forget my glorious past. I put on my military uniform with all my medals and pretend I’m once again a commander over hundreds of soldiers. This gives me strength to endure the humiliation and affliction we suffer here in this Russian prison.”
Reb Yankele would later tell this story to remind us that we Jews are the King’s sons and shouldn’t forget our glory and pride.
