Reply To: Going off the Derech

Well….what can I say? What used to be my favorite holiday ever since we moved to Israel, is now a day for tapered smiles and worry. While my son was making all these plans to go to secular parties and places, I asked him why, when he has clearly rejected a Torah way of life and anything Rabbis say, he was celebrating Purim at all, which is d’Rabanan? Of course he gave the answer, which is the answer to almost any question I ask, “‘Cause I want”. I had to constantly remind myself what I heard from a friend, who told me that no matter what my son does/where he goes on Purim, I WILL be happy, bc it’s a chance to do a mitzvah completely l’shem Shamayim. I’m not acting happy bc I necessarily feel it, but only bc it’s what Hashem wants. So, I did my best, and am now trying to prepare for the weeks he will be home before Pesach…