6
"When God," said the rabbi, "has chosen a soul and decided that it is to go down into the sinful world, it trembles and cries.
"In the nine months before birth an angel teaches it the whole Torah; then he gives it a fillip under the nose, and the soul forgets everything it has learned.
"That," added the rabbi, "is why all Jewish children have cloven upper lips."
That same evening I was skating on the ice outside the town, and I observed that the Gentile boys, Yantek, Voitek, and Yashek, had cloven upper lips just like ours.
"Yashek," I risked my life and asked, "ti tàkshé màyesh dùshé?"[31]
"What does it matter to you, soul of a dog?" was the distinct reply.