Earlier this week in English class, we had an interesting discussion about Orthodox Judaism and the rules and laws surrounding it. The conversation started while talking about a short story by Nathan Englander, a prominent Jewish writer. In the story, Englander partly writes about Orthodox Judaism, and in one passage, the characters talk about people who police them about the laws they follow. As we discussed, our class talked about judgment of others, laws and order, and the role of Orthodox Judaism.

I came away from the discussion with an interesting thought: all people need some form of order, and the only difference is whether they give it to themselves or let someone else give them order. Neither is better or worse, just a different viewpoint. In the case of Orthodox Judaism, Jews follow the orders of God to the letter. In many ways, this way of life is easier; if an Orthodox Jew needs an answer, he can look to the Tanakh or Talmud for a quick answer. At the same time, however, the Orthodox Jew has so many rules to follow it can be easy to get lost in the law. I consider myself to be on the opposite side of the continuum – I choose which laws to follow from the Tanakh based on my personal convictions, giving myself order in my life. All laws are meant to give order, and it is up to each individual to choose his path of order.