In our little village of Anatevka, every one of us is like a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking our necks. We stay up there, despite the danger, because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in a word: Tradition! Because of our traditions, we've maintained our balance for many, many years. Here in Anatevka, we have traditions for everything: how to eat, how to sleep, how to wear clothes. For instance, we always keep our heads covered and wear a little prayer shawl to show our constant devotion to God. You may ask how these traditions started? I'll tell you: I don't know! But they are traditions! Because of them, everyone knows who he is and what God expects him to do. To the people of Anatevka, tradition is the foundation for their relationships within society, with one another, and with God. Anything that distorts those traditions causes them to teeter and fall from the roof. Unlike Tevye, who cannot explain the origins or reasons behind his customs, we must know not only how God's traditions started but also their purpose and intent. Because of God's traditions, everyone who is born a new man knows who he is and what God expects him to do from the heart. Tradition, as an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior, fits both human customs and the vastly more significant traditions established by God. This world has developed its own patterns, but from the beginning, God has given men His own inherited, established, and customary patterns of thought, action, and behavior. Through God's Spirit dwelling in us, we have access to a thought-process that should produce actions and behaviors firmly seated on the purpose and intent of God's traditions, which teach us to be like Him. God's commandments, such as the Sabbath, are themselves traditions, revealing His established patterns of thought, action, and behavior. If we follow the letter and spirit of God's laws, they provide real rest and align us with His original purpose and intent. Jesus Christ reprimanded not for following traditions, but for prioritizing unfounded human traditions over God's commandments. If a tradition has its source in God's commandments and reflects His thoughts, actions, and behaviors, even if conceived by a human being, it is a good tradition, and keeping it is right. Tradition is godly if we understand how it fits into truly knowing the mind, character, and behavior of God, helping us to have a more productive relationship with Him in humility and gratitude.