A cantor talked you out of doing a mitzvah??? Is that what you meant? Judaism is interested in motivation, but emphasizes that mere DOING is valid. The cantor had a Christian viewpoint; that faith, not works, is what counts. The heck with him. Fast, thou. Just do it, and the Big Fancy Meaning will gradually come, if you want it, and work for it. It's not, like, 'I passed, and now I am a lawyer'. A Jew is always developing. A Jew is never finished. Every Jew, even the highest and the holiest, has ups and downs of faith. Shabbat Shalom. You sound like a good Jew! Careful whom you talk to!