The Impact of Specific Rituals and Rules on Religious Childhood

Growing up, the speaker's perception of God was of an entity recording all their actions in a book. Regarding their religious upbringing, the speaker mentions that despite the assumption of a close relationship with God, their personal experience was different due to the multitude of strict rules defining their observance. Reflecting on these rules in adulthood, the speaker perceives them as a post-Holocaust trauma response, likening the rituals to OCD behaviors that may have stemmed from past trauma and the loss of agency. The speaker describes the meticulous routines and rituals associated with their religious practices, indicating how each aspect of daily life was influenced by Jewish prescriptions, from washing hands to putting on clothes, highlighting the overwhelming focus on adhering to specific guidelines for every action.