The Man-Child
by Arnold Rabin

This is the story of a boy's coming of age as he faces the celebration of his coming of age in the Bar Mitzvah ceremony.

Given the ring his father cherished, Allen is challenged by friends to prove that the ring is really 14 carat gold.

Taunted by his friends, Allen bites the ring, and not knowing that gold will dent, he believes the ring to be a fake.

Faced by his mother to explain why the ring is dented.

Allen, ashamed to admiit the truth, lies, saying it was an accident.

His mother prods him to tell the truth because the teeth marks are obvious.

"Did you bite the ring?" she asks, explaining that gold is a soft metal and and can easily dent.

As the hour of the Bar Mitzvah approaches, it becomes apparent that Allen cannot achieve manhood with the lie in his heart.

The situation is furrther complicated when Allen's aunt and uncle arrive bringing his new suit for the occasion.

However, the pants must be shortened, and on Friday, the tailors are closed.

Nobody sews on the Sabbath.

Allen's mother, a religious woman, volunteers to shorten the pants.

To save his mother from what he believes to be a sin, he admits his own lie.

And his grandmother, relieved that the boy has really achieved moral adulthood, suggests that the cuffs can be folded.

Yes, sewing on the Sabbath may be a sin, but there is no law against folding.

The play ends with Allen's participating in the critical moment of the ceremony - and even the grandmother's inviting the audience to join in the reception.