To G-d and to the people (ZI G-TT INT ZI DE LIHT)

I stood on the second floor of our rental in Mammoth Mountain and gazed at a gathering of at least thirty men, assembled for the purpose of creating a Minyan.

We had been to this vacation spot many times. We took the family for winter vacations in the late seventies, eighties, and nineties.

The fireplace was burning. I prepared breakfast, eggs and cereal, while Raphy davened with the boys. I packed bagels with cream cheese for lunch and told the kids we would buy hot chocolate at the top of the mountain. We taught them how to ski from the age of three, and they took to the sport with ease. Raphy led the troop, and I picked up the children who dropped, rolled, or slid down the mountain. I collected gloves, skis, and poles, and we reassembled ourselves to continue having fun, until the children became better than us and took off on their own.

The third generation of Nissels adopted the sport as well. We joined them a few times and experienced ultimate naches simply by watching.

We had just returned from a six hour drive from Mammoth, and this time something incredible happened. We had a Minyan every day from Sunday to Thursday. Shacharit was held in another person’s place, and Mincha and Maariv were in our house. Teenagers in dark suits, white shirts, and black hats, alongside men in ski outfits and knit hats, assembled together. At first, I stood in the kitchen and davened along with them, but when I realized they needed more space, I walked up to the next floor and davened in the hallway. I reached for my tissues. I was overwhelmed with happiness at having succeeded in creating this Minyan. Raphy is reciting Kaddish every day for the rabbi he learned with for many years, and the effort he invested in this endeavor truly paid off.

The amazing phenomenon was that all day long we had fun, just as we had decades ago. Well, not exactly, because we skied many more hours when we were younger. Still, the mountains are the same. I prepared bagels and cream cheese for lunch and hot chocolate to wash it all down. The fireplace was on, and when we returned to our cabin and warmed up dinner for the family, the aroma was a mixture of chicken and holy air. The feeling of ZI G-tt and ZI da Liht was absorbed straight into my heart.