“We’ll be making a seudas hodaah together,” Avi said. His friends and Elchanan’s friends...somehow, it was all the same thing now

“Tell us again about how you heard the search party in the night, but you couldn’t call out to them because there were noises outside your tent.”

“I just can’t believe that you escaped from those criminals so many times!”

“That storekeeper was part of the gang? Really?”

Rabbi Glazer stood to one side, smiling, as Avi and Elchanan recounted their adventures to a rapt audience. It was clear that there would be no learning done today, the first day that the two adventurers were back in class, but maybe this was the most important lesson of all: seeing how the two class leaders, once sworn enemies, now shared knowing looks and smiles as they answered their classmates’ questions.

“It was really thanks to Avi that we even figured out where we were, using the maps,” Elchanan was saying.

“And if not for Elchanan, we’d never have gotten away and up the tree in time.” Avi shook his head. “I still get the shivers thinking about it….”

“And it was Matt who gave us the directions out of the forest.”

“And,” Rabbi Glazer interjected, “I’m sure the tefillos and kabbalos of all your friends helped, too. After all, you boys really experienced some nissim out there.”

Avi and Elchanan nodded fervently.

“We’ll be making a seudas hodaah together,” Avi said. He looked around the classroom, his friends and Elchanan’s friends, and somehow, it was all the same thing now. “You’re all invited, of course.”

“Yes, everyone’s invited, we hope you’ll all come,” Elchanan echoed. Behind them, Rabbi Glazer gave a large, proud smile.