Prof. Velvel Greene was employed by NASA in the early years of the space program. He once told the Rebbe that despite all their research, scientists had found no sign of extra-terrestrial life.

“Shouldn’t we stop looking?” the professor asked. “After all, is it not a point of faith that there is no life outside Earth?”

“Why put limits on G‑d?” the Rebbe answered. “Continue looking! Whether or not there is life in outer space is a question for the scientists; it is not an object of faith.”

The Rebbe once asked his secretary, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, to purchase a certain item for him. Rabbi Krinsky went to a store at which Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch (the educational wing of the Lubavitch organization) had an account, charged the article to the account, and brought his purchase to the Rebbe.

When the Rebbe received the article, he said he wanted to pay for it himself. Upon examining the receipt, he noticed that sales tax had not been charged.

Rabbi Krinsky told the Rebbe that he thought the article was to be used by the organization, and that as a charitable organization, the item would be tax-exempt.

The Rebbe replied that the item was for his personal use. He asked Rabbi Krinsky to contact the store, cancel the original receipt, and pay the tax due.