“I’ve heard there isn’t a lock in all of Israel that you can’t pick,” Nachum said to Yosef
Nachum learns that a picture of one stolen Karsh menorah mysteriously appeared in the Jerusalem Post’s inbox hours before the first theft. Isaac Coopersmith, director of the Israel Museum and owner of the third stolen menorah, reveals that Karsh’s favorite song was Maoz Tzur. Nachum and Aryeh light the fifth Chanukah licht, and start to fall asleep — as they realize the thief is in their dirah.
When I woke up, I felt like I was at Maariv of Motzaei Purim — my head was throbbing, and who was shining a bright light into my eyes? Slowly, the intense light subsided, and I could make out three people sitting around the menorah on our table, all wearing masks.
Oh, no, I thought, I’ve awoken to an alternate universe where people still mask for Covid. I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the masked people were still there. I blinked once more and saw the menorah’s flickering flames reflected in the three pairs of eyes fixed on me: Nachum’s and… the gas technicians’ from earlier in the day?
“He woke up after exactly thirty minutes,” Nachum said with his finger on his stopwatch. “Fantastic.”
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