Years ago, I enlisted in the US Army. Day 1 of basic training consists of getting your head shaved, doing push-ups all day, and trying to avoid the attention of the very clever insult-hurling drill sergeants. Close to sunset, I hadn’t wrapped my tefillin and wanted to daven the shemoneh esrei. Before releasing us to the barracks, the drill sergeants asked if there were any questions. I stood and asked “Which way is east? I’d like to pray.”Rabbi Lord Sacks wrote that “non-Jews respect Jews who respect Judaism.” For the rest of my training and all the way to Afghanistan, I always made it clear at the beginning that I took my observance seriously. In return, I earned the respect of my peers and supervisors alike.
