Never before in Jewish history have so many children been enrolled in Jewish day schools. Thousands of young Jewish men and women travel every year to Israel to study their heritage. Tens of thousands of Jews study a page of Talmud every day. In short, there is no comparable era in Jewish history for the amount of Torah being studied around the globe. Yet, there is a silent, growing problem which is only being spoken about in darkened corners. For all of the Torah being studied and the commandments being kept, many of the practitioners are sorely lacking a relationship with the Almighty.

The irony is that Torah and Mitzvot (commandments) are a means to an end. They should direct a person into the arms of the Almighty. Unfortunately, something seems to be lost in translation. I recently spoke with a young woman from a very religious seminary in Israel. She had come to Aish HaTorah to attend some classes that discussed G-d. She told me that having gone to a Jewish school her whole life, she knew the intricate laws of the Sabbath. That having been said, she wasn't sure she believed in G-d! She quipped, “It's not like G-d was on the test!”

The ramifications to this issue are felt far and wide. The result is a large population which is socially Orthodox. They have grown up Orthodox, their friends and family are Orthodox, so they feel at home being Orthodox. This is a dangerous phenomenon. Religion untethered to G-d doesn’t last and certainly won't exist when the community is absent. Hence these Jews tend to be lax on vacation or if they go away to university. Absent the community, there is no incentive to “stay Jewish.”