Tradition v Habit - or why I don't think I can watch FIDDLER anymore

So a friend of mine sent me this essay about FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, which I'd always considered as one of my favorite movies, and certainly one of my favorite musicals.

http://www.theimaginativeconservative.org/2015/09/tradition-fiddler-on-the-roof-gets-it-wrong.html

But this author basically dissected the entire show - particularly the opening sequence, "Tradition," and basically declared it all to be a fake. One of his arguments that troubles me is a line of Tevye's in "Tradition" that always seemed kind of weird:

"For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl. This shows our constant devotion to God. You may ask, how did this tradition get started? I’ll tell you. I don’t know. But it’s a tradition. And because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”

Um, if the men had grown up with at least 7 years of school, in a pious community full of pious people, wouldn't they have known exactly why they wear prayer shawls?

At the end of the essay, the author kind of summarily dismissed FIDDLER as being made by secular Jews who wanted to remember their ancestors while at the same time mocking the beliefs and practices of their ancestors. Direct quote: "These commandments from God are shown to be nothing more than relics of an antiquated, unenlightened era. While we feel sad for Tevye that his culture is lost, there is never a compelling case made for that culture." At first, I found that pronouncement kind of short-sighted and mean-spirited. But now I wonder...is it true? Has anybody else noticed this?