"One who lives amongst bad people and does not follow in their ways is better than one who lives amongst good people and does follow in their ways.

Also one who lives amongst good people and does bad is worse than one who lives amongst bad people and does bad."

In my opinion, these words speak for themselves. There should be no need for further comment. Unfortunately, while I believe this to be self evident, not everyone shares my opinion; therefore, I find it necessary to comment just a little.

Today, so much religious emphasis is placed on conforming to the religious lifestyle. Primary emphasis and even the definition of being religious itself is placed on appearances and social identification, as opposed to true and sincere inner transformations that actually bring one closer to G-d. This emphasis on the superficial in modern day religious communities has materialized diametrically opposite personality types than what is call for by the Torah.

Religion in general and Torah in specific are supposed to transform an individual both inwardly and outwardly. Kabbalah speaks emphatically about the integral, vital relationship between light (inward) and vessel (outward). Unless both are in proper alignment, then there is great danger. The Kabbalistic "shattering of the vessels" which is the source of evil in our world is nothing other than the imbalance between sincere spirituality (light) and a strong, healthy body (vessel) in which to put it and let it materialize in a healthy, natural way. Only this proper balance defines for us what is called normal.

Going with the flow and following after the crowd has their relative merits within a context. Yet, this attitude of crowd consciousness subverts a person's ability to find their personal individual identities. Without knowing oneself, one cannot possibly know G-d.

Religion is supposed to make one to be good. Being secular, without any fundamental moral compass to navigate through life is said to be inherently bad. This being said, we often see in reality that these are not the facts.

We see many in the religious world who do not act good. Apparently all their religious observance has not transformed them into good people. What good then has religion provided for them? Torah transforms the soul; it makes people good. If and when we see someone who claims to embrace Torah by being religious and yet does not act good; then their embrace of Torah is only superficial. It is not real. Their superficial embrace actually does them harm, deceiving them into believing that they have changed and have become good. The truth, however, is reflected in their actual behavior, not in their proclamations of being religious.

Are all secular people really bad and without moral compunction? This is also false. While many secular people lack any sense of morals and proper behavior, there are just as many who do not suffer from these bad personality traits and lack of character. Some way and somehow some secular people seem to have a good sense of right and wrong, regardless of their relationship to religion. While I do not expect secular people to be able to live up to the high standards of Torah morality, nonetheless, some come very close, simply by doing what is right. Although they live in a world without morals, they choose not to follow suit. This is truly meritorious.

What, however, is the excuse of those religious who act with lesser character and morals than their supposed godless secular counterparts? They claim to embrace Torah and yet act in ways which contradict the very foundation of Torah principles. Real religion and real Torah is not about how you dress, and the other accoutrements of a cultural religious lifestyle. Real religion and real Torah is all about a 100% transformation of self, from the inside out. Without the inner transformation of personality and the refinement of behavior and character, no external show of religiosity can ever make one to be truly religious.

When someone is secular, without an external moral compass such as religion to guide one through life, and still acts with morality, dignity and proper respect for others, this makes such a person a cut above the rest. On the other hand, when someone religious just goes along with the flow and does nothing other than follow the crowd, such a one has done nothing unusual or extraordinary. Such a person is not worthy of notice. Indeed, such a person is just one of the crowd and really does not exist as an individual. Therefore, there is nothing and no one to notice.

What is worse is someone who is so-called religious and behaves contrary to the moral compass imposed by Torah. What excuse is there for one who lives religiously and yet acts without religion? I understand the secular who act secular. I understand the religious who act sincerely religious. I can even understand the secular who acts somewhat religiously; for them this is a form of betterment. But, forgive me, I cannot understand someone who is religious on the outside and yet acts opposite religion on the inside. What excuse is there for this?

Hypocrisy is a really bad thing. We are supposed to walk our talk and be true to ourselves and to Heaven. How can a person be true to Heaven when one is not true to oneself? How can one be true to oneself if one does even know oneself? How can one ever know oneself when his entire community tells him/her not to think of him/herself as an individual but rather as only one of the crowd?

The crowd does not know G-d; the individual does. Find yourself and you will find G-d. Finding religion is supposed to mean finding G-d and finding oneself. How unfortunate that today this is no longer the case. Much of modern religion has become the very opposite of what religion is supposed to be. Religion is supposed to set us free, not enslave us. Being religious is not a statement about culture or philosophy, it is the way we embrace the universe and live in harmony with it. This is Torah; this is Halakha and this is Kabbalah all rolled up into one.