My Pesach Vinch (Passover Wishes)

My favorite author, AJ Jacobs, published his 6th book recently. It was called Thanks A Thousand. He goes on an adventure thanking everyone up the chain who is responsible for his daily coffee. It's a book entirely about gratitude. I think he got more press for this than he did for any of his previous works.

I, too, published my 6th book this year. You may have heard. It's called The Emoji Haggadah. It's published by KTAV Publishing House. I'm thankful to a lot of people who have helped me throughout the process. All I feel is gratitude. I know I got more press for this than any of my previous works.

With this book, I have finally gotten access to a world previously closed to me. The door opened. I went supernova. I got zany coverage from all corners of the globe. Newspapers in Australia and New Zealand covered me; I was tweeted at from all over Asia. A German paper reached out for an interview; Israelis were some of the first to order; Indian and British work colleagues were thrilled for me. 5 libraries, in 5 different states, already have it in their collections. Stores all over the U.S. and Canada welcomed me in, and the globe follows after chag. I've sold thousands of copies; I was in the top 0.14% of Amazon sellers; I'm noticed in the streets; I now walk around with a Sharpie in my pocket; everyone thinks I'm handsome.

But what elevates my heart is not just this feeling of self-actualization, not just this enervating kerpow of personal accomplishment after years of rejection.

No, what pervades my entire body, heart, and soul is an overwhelming feeling of gratitude, to all those who took a chance on me, who offered me advice and encouragement, who gave me solid leads, who interviewed me, who reviewed me, who connected me with some heavy hitters, who walked into stores to pitch for me, who pounded pavement for me.

It is good to feel gratitude. It's good to feel that people have your back. More than all the emotions I've experienced, this one sits at the top of the pyramid.

I'm thankful to all of you, and I wish sincerely that this feeling of gratitude should sit in your hearts as well. It's the best feeling in the world. You deserve it.

Have a wonderful chag, and I hope that my humble work helps add meaning to your seders, and helps engage with those at your table.

-Mordechi (Martin[i]) Bodek

P.S. And today, erev Pesach, is my birthday. How fitting is that? My wife got me an emoji cake, because that’s perfect, and she’s awesome. And vice versa.