The noted theologian Emil Fackenheim has spoken about the 614th commandment, and it is this: "Do not give Hitler a posthumous victory." If Jewish civilization ends because we do not live Jewish lives, we will have done just that... and Hitler would end up victorious.

For some Jews, Dr. Fackenheim's statement is persuasive and motivational. Others seek a more affirmative push, and ask, "Aren't there positive reasons to be Jewish?" Of course there are! I've been thinking about this a bit, and I came up with a list. Here's what I jotted down:

• I love my Judaism, and can't imagine living without it.
  
• Jewish weddings are freilach - we dance and rejoice before the bride and groom.
  
• We have holidays every month (save one), and a special day each week - Shabbat.
  
• While I learn my Judaism in my synagogue, I live it in my home and in my everyday life.
  
• Questioning is encouraged - the questions are more important than the answers because they lead to more questions.
  
• Rituals give color and flavor to my life, and each one points to a moral lesson.
  
• Being Jewish gives me a connection to others in a world that is often alienating.
  
• Virtually wherever I travel, I can find my community.
  
• Every time the Torah scroll is lifted, I feel the generations which have preceded me.
  
• Books are sacred, learning is revered, and teachers are respected.
  
• There is more than one way to be a good Jew.
  
• Ours is an optimistic outlook on life.
  
• Judaism is a way of life, informing how I look at things, how I believe, and even how I eat.
  
• Judaism encourages me to enjoy eating, but not be a glutton...to enjoy drinking, but not be a drunkard.
  
• Judaism doesn't require me to believe the unbelievable, but encourages me to dream beyond the see-able.
  
• Judaism gives me the means to express my joy and the hope to overcome my grief.
  
• Every time I attend a Bris or Bat Mitzvah, I feel the chain of Jewish tradition on which I am a link.
  
• Life is a paramount value, as seen in the fact that the number 18 is so special. After all the word is numerically equivalent to 18, and it means life.