I did continue to read the Old Testament but, to me, Judaism seemed to be mired in rules and ritual.  The prohibition against eating pork is only one of the 613 commandments in the Torah, many of which seem quite arbitrary and trivial.  I had my own experience of being given arbitrary exercises in obedience, but I didn’t build a whole religion around them.

“Lord, does the Jewish spirit transcend orthodox practice?”

Of course.  Rituals and observances are important, but they are only tokens, pointers for the real thing, the Being beyond being.  My people (the Jewish people, the people of Israel) are precious to Me, but they are not My only people.  All My people are wanderers in a vast desert, not only the first “desert people.”  I give mankind many sources, many messages, through religions, institutions …

I don’t know why this occurred to me but I interjected, “And through silences?”

Yes, through silences too.