Hands That Trembled

The Rebbe once told his chassidim that he had in his possession a handwritten letter from his forebear, the author of Bnei Yissoschor, written during Elul. At first glance something seemed wrong with it: the lines were uneven and almost sloppy, rising and falling instead of running straight across the page. In the letter the Bnei Yissoschor explained that he could not write at length, because his hands trembled with awe of Hashem and fear of the coming Yom HaDin. “From fear of the Yom HaDin, he couldn't even hold his pen straight,” the Rebbe said. “And what about us? What should we say about ourselves?”