Lie Down in Green Pastures. DEBBIE VIGUIE

      Jeremiah awoke early Saturday morning. He had slept through most of Friday. He had clearly been more exhausted than he realized. You're getting soft, he told himself as he sat up gingerly.

      Captain, a large German shepherd, was on the bed staring at him with soulful eyes.

      "I'm okay, boy," Jeremiah said as he stood up.

      He took the dog for a quick walk and then returned to the house where the two shared a sandwich.

      He usually used Fridays to finish preparing for Saturday services but fortunately he had taken care of everything earlier in the week. He debated briefly about calling a taxi or having someone pick him up but finally opted to walk. It would help keep all his muscles from stiffening up completely.

      When he made it to the synagogue, he found Marie waiting for him. Whenever she was in the office before services it wasn't a good sign.

      "What's wrong, Marie?"

      "We need another counselor for the high school weekend retreat at Green Pastures."

      "I thought we had only fourteen kids attending."

      "We do. Nine boys and five girls. Larson is the boys' counselor, but Eileen's sister had her baby this morning and she flew back East to be with her."

      "Okay, I'll make an announcement," he said. "Hopefully someone will step up."

      Shabbat services usually lasted three hours. The bar mitzvah of the youngest Levine boy caused the services to run slightly longer. The boy took his time, carefully and seriously reading from the Torah, embracing his entrance into manhood.

      Jeremiah couldn't help but envy him a little. What must it be like to grow up in safety in America instead of in jeopardy in Israel? he wondered.

      When the services were over, he made an appearance at the celebration afterward. It was expected and the festive environment was refreshing.

      "Rabbi, can I speak with you?"

      He turned. It was Noah, the oldest of the Levine boys.He had his hands shoved in his pockets and his shoulders hunched.

      "Yes, of course."

      He followed Noah to a corner of the room where they sat on folding chairs. Once they had settled Jeremiah asked, "What's on your mind?"

      "I'm going to be graduating from high school in two and a half months. I want to enlist in the army, but my parents want me to go to college first. Actually, I think they're hoping that if I go to college I'll grow out of wanting to join the army."

      "They want you to be safe and to get a good education, provide for your future," Jeremiah said.

      "I know. They've explained all their reasons, and they are good ones, but it's not what I want to do."

      "Have you explained your reasons to them?" he asked.

      "I've tried. I'm just not sure they understand." The boy sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand. "I'm not sure I understand," he admitted.

      "Talk to me about enlisting in the military. What does it mean to you? Why do you feel you want to do it?"

      "That's just it. I'm not sure I want to so much as I feel compelled to."

      Jeremiah smiled. "In Israel we are compelled to. Here in America you have a choice. It's either something you want, something you don't want, or something you think you should want."

      "I hate school," Noah admitted. "The thought of going straight to college just makes me sick inside. It makes me feel trapped."

      "You could get a job, work for a few years first."

      "I want to be able to do more than work at a fast food joint and I'm not really interested in most of the skilled trades like mechanic and carpenter."

      "So, what makes you feel that going into the military will be better than going to college or getting a job?"

      "I feel like I'd actually be doing something, helping out, you know? And I could learn a lot in the process, maybe figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. My little brother, he's smart, loves to read and study. He wants to be a doctor someday and I think he'll make it. He hated Boy Scouts. He quit after six months. Me, I hate studying, but I loved Boy Scouts. I made Eagle Scout when I was fourteen."

      Though he had no experience himself with Boy Scouts Jeremiah still knew that was young to achieve the distinction."What did you like about it?" he asked.

      "Everything. It made sense to me. I knew where I stood, what I was doing, what I had to do to excel and achieve the next thing. I loved the outdoors aspects. And I felt like I was accomplishing something real."

      Jeremiah cleared his throat, aware that what he said next would likely have a huge impact on Noah with consequences that were as yet unforeseen to them both. "Some people do very well in the military. They like the structure; they like serving; they can both follow and lead. There's nothing wrong with choosing that for a career or even for a short-term experience. However, there are costs, even beyond the obvious physical dangers. It can isolate you from friends and family, even change you. It can become hard to relate to people who aren't in the military. And then, if you do see combat, you'll have to live with the knowledge that you've killed people. Some can and some can't."

      "I had thought about the danger, and that I might have to fight, but I didn't think that it could change me," Noah admitted soberly.

      "It will change the way you think, respond, react. The military is very good at creating fighting machines. Unfortunately, there is no off switch for what you will become. It will be part of you for the rest of your life."

      "Thank you,