Observant Secular Jew

Judaism without God is an opinion peice posted at the Times of Israel addressing the problem of being simultaneously atheist and Jewish. Nathan Cardozo admits that it's hard to think of commandments without a Commander, but

The problem, however, is that Jewish history proves over and over again that the moment Jews stop being observant, assimilation sets in, and within a short period of time Jews stop being Jews and their grandchildren are lost to the Jewish people.

But, stipulating that the Jews must continue to exist, how is one to be observant without a motive? His answer boils down to "Teach ourselves to do it anyway."

when Judaism is taught and lived such that the secular Jew will be so uplifted by the grand ideas of Jewish Tradition that, despite his denial that God exists, he cannot resist living by its sublime directives.

...

One can only understand the meaning of Shabbat when one experiences Shabbat by actually observing it. To claim otherwise is identical to a person who denies the sublime beauty of music on the basis that he never heard it.

...

It will be necessary to organize special courses and even academies to teach Judaism in such a manner that even the most secular Jew will be inspired and feel the inner need to become observant without admitting that there is a God.

So far, so speculative, not to say fanciful--though he has a good point about the Sabbath. But then he wrote:

In this respect he is greater than the religious Jew. He is the authentic Baal Teshuva!

Of course that begs the question. If the religious Jew is obeying a real God, he is in touch with something greater than any academy or human resolution.

You can inspire some people to follow some commandments because of their beauty: the Sabbath, for example. But I'm not sure what you can say to make eschewing bacon and pepperoni pizza attractive.