Summary

Come Home – As plans are made for the bar mitzvah, Jacob finds himself unable and unwilling to put Argus down: neither of them, he feels, is ready. Meanwhile, his and Tamir’s attempts to get to Israel are at first blocked by travel restrictions, but then eased when the Israeli Prime Minister asks for Jews to “come home” (435), and arranges for flights and airspace. This takes place two days after the fifteen days referred to in Part 4.

Today I Am Not a Man – The night before his bar mitzvah, Sam has a meeting with Max and Benjy, in which they talk about the family’s situation. Sam says that because all the family’s plans (the divorce, Jacob moving out, Jacob going to Israel) are dependent upon his bar mitzvah, he says he’s not going to HAVE the...