victory
“You will always remember where you were when you heard the Twin Towers had fallen.”
“You will always remember where you were when you heard Kennedy was shot.”

You will always remember where you were when you heard of the select few stand out global tragedies.  But can you think of one beautiful, brilliant moment of pure victory that you shared with thousands of brothers and sisters worldwide?

I can.

I had been sitting in a car for almost 7 hours en route from San Diego to Sedona. The first day of our road trip. The last day of Chanukah, the eight candles lit the night before on a city street corner. Persumei Neissa.

We had driven through countless beautiful landscapes just within the first few hours, but nothing to compare to the red rock of Sedona. We were listening to a podcast that had to be paused to listen to a Whatsapp voice note from my brother. Over the car loudspeaker played, “...my mother is going to pick him up soon…”

Chaya: Is he talking about Sholom Mordechai?
Me: WHATTT?!?!?!?!
Confirmation by WhatsApp: *ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding*

I don’t think I will ever find the words to describe the magnitude of that moment. As a religious person, believing my whole life, I have felt G-d before. I have felt the arms of a thousand brothers and sisters forming a tight circle in times of need - and there have been times of need. Times our hearts have broken as one. Times I have seen what it means to be a part of something.  

But this, there was no precedent for this. This was victory.

Chaya and I actually put on “Didan (Victory Song)” by 8th Day on repeat as we drove the last 20 minutes or so to our hike. Our mouths were gaping open. Our minds were reeling. The tears were happy ones. Tears eight years in the making on the eighth day of Chanukah.

At the time, my mind was blown and my hands were shaking. My world was truly upside down.
Now, looking back, I think it is important to note how actually incredible that is. As I said, I have been believing (with the usual moments of doubt thrown in) my entire life and up until that moment at twenty one years old, I had never had a moment of victory. All those years of real faith. Pure belief. G-d is good and good will come to us. Keep at it.

Didan Natzach - it translates to “We will be victorious!” Only Jews are crazy enough to sing a victory song about a victory yet to happen. Those are believers.

On the back of that belief, may we merit the ultimate victory

These photos are the property of Chaya Muchnik, mentioned previously as greatest travel partner and all around incredible human being.

I mean tell me these don't feel Messianic? 







It was very hard to convince myself I was awake the next morning. 

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