Judaism Straight Up: Why Real Religion Endures

When Heidi would instruct young Amber to “question authority,” as she often did, Amber heard only “trust your own feelings.”

Failing to adapt at all is exceedingly maladaptive.

someone with a great deal of prestige and clout can potentially catalyze an escape from a bad equilibrium.

In situations that call mainly for common sense and decency, Shimen’s first instinct is to conjure up what his bubbe (grandma) would do.

the purity of practitioners’ intentions aside, those who are faithful to communal rituals do in fact reap the rewards of communal solidarity.

Unlike Shimen, Heidi aspires to base her beliefs solely on evidence and to choose her commitments based on these justified beliefs. She specifically aspires for her most deeply held beliefs to transcend the particular culture in which she lives.

Unlike legislation, which is a discrete event and is typically determined by a small group of legislators who are liable to have their own interests, social norms tend to be stable, adjusting gradually and in accordance with consensus.

subcommunities that prove to be poorly adapted, usually because the barriers between them and non-halakhic cultures are too low, simply cease to exist,

community is defined by the social norms shared by its members, while a state’s jurisdiction falls on all those who live in its territory.