When the Nazis first advanced intoEastern Europe their extermination squads would sweep into Jewish villages and after forcing the villagers to dig their own graves would then murder them with machine guns. In one such village an SS man his machine gun at the ready watched as an elderly chassidic Jews laboriously dug what he knew was his own grave.

Having finished he stood up straight and spoke to the Nazi: “G-d is watching what you are doing.” And then he was shot dead.

What Hitler did not believe what Stalin did not believe what the death camp officials did not believe what the Nazi doctors did not believe what the thousands of apparatchiks who carried out the slaughter did not believe what terrorists who shot babies in their cribs did not believe was that G-d was watching what they were doing.

So writes Prof. David Berlinski (not an Orthodox Jew) in his riveting book The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and Its Scientific Pretensions. And he closes this section with a thought worth remembering: that the meaning of being secular is that you don’t believe that G-d is watching what you are doing.

When searching for that which differentiates a religious person from a secular person here is the most succinct and powerful definition: The religious person believes that G-d is watching what he is doing. Our Sages say so is so many words in Avos 2:1: “…An eye sees an ear hears and all your actions are recorded in a Book ” echoing the identical words in Mishlei 20:12. It doesn’t get any clearer than that.

This concept is addressed to everyone — not just to criminals and murderers.

Some examples: To the rabbi-politicians who claim to be Orthodox and who have joined up with the anti-Orthodox Yesh Atid political party and their drive to punish the chareidim and who claim they are acting for the sake of Heaven thus legitimizing the party that is not opposed to same-gender marriages and that supports other anti-Torah initiatives: Are you aware that G-d is watching what you are doing?

To the many eminent rabbis — but fortunately not all — who jockeyed and politicked during the elections for chief rabbi turning the process into a degrading scene worthy of Tammany Hall politics thus bringing no glory to the name of Torah: Were you aware that G-d was watching what you were doing? Observant Jews after all recite Psalm 94:9 every single Wednesday: “Im yotzeir ayin halo yabit — He who created the eye doth He not see?”

To Yair Lapid head of Yesh Atid: In the midst of your occasional statements about believing in G-d and not wanting to harm Torah but desiring only to help religious Jews by cutting their children’s stipends to sub-poverty levels one question: Are you aware that G-d is watching what you are doing?

But not only to people in public life but to ordinary citizens as well going about our daily activities interacting with others attending shul dealing with friends and family and clients: Are we aware that G-d is watching what we are doing?

To believe in G-d is fine but on its own is only a beginning. Belief in G-d comes attached with certain stipulations and obligations . Thus: 1) We believe in G-d and therefore we pray to Him. 2) We pray to Him because we believe that He is listening. 3) If we believe He is listening then we must also believe that He can see. 4) If He can see then it follows that He is watching what we are doing. Therefore believing in G-d has serious implications enough to fill us with dread and awe. It could even cramp our lifestyle.

Which is why even supposedly religious folks shunt that thought aside push it away. It is too awesome too fraught with latent meanings to be able to live with every moment of the day. And I daresay that even many so-called secular Israelis who claim not to believe and who have pushed it far away also understand deep down that yes He is watching what we are doing.

Awesome and laden with possibilities is this idea and therefore a crucial one for everyone to keep in mind during this season of the New Year. But until we all become G-d-conscious the words of Devarim 26:15 in which G-d watches our behavior serve as a comfort: “Hashkifah…. — Look down from Thy holy abode from heaven and bless Thy people Israel and the soil which Thou hast given us as Thou hast sworn to our Fathers a Land flowing with milk and honey.”

Over and above all else the idea of G-d watching us contains one very potent implication: Given free rein it could make believers of us all.