Question
Why can’t I, a Jew, be a good person without Judaism?
Answer
You might try to be good without Judaism, but you will have a hard time determining what is considered good. Do you decide what good is, is it based on consensus, or does it depend how you feel? None of these ways are necessarily accurate. In fact, we could easily think of many people
and societies who think that they are good, but we do not agree. Judaism gives us a method for determining good.
An additional thing to consider. Being good, like all good things in life, requires effort and attention. Judaism claims to offer the best, most efficient, and most pleasant regimen for “being Good.” After all, it was given by the Creator of mankind, and the Definer of “Good.”
Rabbi David Shenker