Rejoicing in Being a Jew

The Chabad chassid Rav Raphael Kohen heard this from his father, Rav Boruch Sholom Kohen.

While the two Shapira brothers of Slovita were in prison, they did their best to daven and say Tehillim. Among the prisoners was an apostate and heretic who knew enough halacha to use it against them. Driven by his hatred of everything Jewish, he filled the chamber pot and fouled the cell so that they could not say any holy words.

For a moment the grandsons of Rav Pinchos Koretzer were downcast. What would they do now? How could they daven? Suddenly one of them was struck by a thought: true, we cannot say Tehillim, but is that a reason for our spirits to fail? We must rejoice, for as Jews, this too is an avodah (service of Hashem). By holding back we are fulfilling the will of our Creator, so we must be b'simcha (joyful). And they began to dance in the prison, rejoicing in being Jews.