How do I know if an inspiring moment really changed me?

Rabbi Landau teaches that “the real test of a great moment is not how high you went, it's what came back down with you.” Everybody looks good on inauguration day, with music, flags, and speeches. “Show me six weeks later.”

Did anything actually change? “That's how you know whether something was real.” And the same is true in our own lives, he says: “Don't show me the moment you cried. Don't show me the promise you made. Don't show me how inspired you felt.”

“Show me your calendar a month later. Show me how you talk to people. Show me what you do when nobody's watching.” The celebration ends, and life begins again: “V'Yaakov halach l'darko,” and Yaakov went on his way.

Going deeper: Rabbi Landau's teaching, level by level

Surface claim

The test of a great moment is what comes back down with you afterward.

Fear, vulnerability, or tension

Everybody looks good on the big day. The worry is that once the music stops, nothing will have changed.

Underlying need or longing

A person wants the moment he cried and the promise he made to be real.

Deepest human truth

Change shows up in ordinary life: your calendar a month later, how you talk to people, and what you do when nobody's watching.