In which my son faces a crisis of faith

Friday night we were invited to Shabbat dinner at a friend's house. Their older son wanted to share a bit of Torah that he'd learned at school: "The Beis ha-Levi asks, Why do we celebrate eight days of Chanukah?" My daughter answered, "because they weren't able to celebrate Sukkot that year, because the Greeks were still in control of the Temple, and so when they recaptured the Temple they celebrated Sukkot late." While this is historically accurate, it was not the answer that the friend's son wanted, and he replied, ( Cut for length )

And that's a miracle that I can believe in without betraying my intellect and that I can explain to my son without hedging. It's a miracle that he can understand, that he can be proud to be a part of, and that he can be thankful for.

In which my son faces a crisis of faith

Friday night we were invited to Shabbat dinner at a friend's house. Their older son wanted to share a bit of Torah that he'd learned at school: "The Beis ha-Levi asks, Why do we celebrate eight days of Chanukah?" My daughter answered, "because they weren't able to celebrate Sukkot that year, because the Greeks were still in control of the Temple, and so when they recaptured the Temple they celebrated Sukkot late." While this is historically accurate, it was not the answer that the friend's son wanted, and he replied, ( Cut for length )

And that's a miracle that I can believe in without betraying my intellect and that I can explain to my son without hedging. It's a miracle that he can understand, that he can be proud to be a part of, and that he can be thankful for.