If you are a normal human being who adopts Orthodox Judaism, you’ll soon feel better about yourself.
Practice Orthodox Judaism and you’ll walk around with a swagger. You’ll know who you are. You’ll never proclaim you’re a proud Jew. You’ll just be a proud Jew.
It’s a beautiful thing to know who you are. Practice non-Orthodox forms of Judaism and the chances are the following things will slip into your speech:
"I know the Orthodox won’t agree…"
"The Orthodox probably don’t think I’m Jewish…"
"I can’t help wondering if the Orthodox think I’m Jewish…"
"I wonder how the Orthodox will react to this…"
"I think it’s kinda Orthodox when I…"
"That seems Orthodox to me…"
By contrast, I never hear Orthodox Jews concerning themselves with how non-Orthodox Jews regard them. It doesn’t matter.
Orthodox Jews are exceedingly secure in their identity when compared to non-Orthodox Jews, who are varying combinations of traditional Judaism, newfangled Judaism and secular society. Non-Orthodox Jews are torn between so many competing ways of being that the chances are much higher they won’t know who they are and they won’t have a community that supports them.
Modernity is a confusing place. You can be straight or gay or bi. You can be a believer or an agnost or an atheist. You can be anything you want. There are so many choices that a lot of people get stuck. They don’t know who they are and they don’t know what is expected of them.
If anyone has the slightest doubt about the mental health benefits available to the practicioner of Orthodox Judaism, they should simply gaze upon me on this here live cam.
Look upon my works, ye mortals…
