"...against those that argue that 'religion' is something entirely created from mankind's overly fertile imagination..."

OK, as long as you know I'm not one of those. I don't think religion is a result of an overly fertile imagination but a response to real experiences with the Divine. (And anyway, our overly fertile imaginations are God-given in the first place.) I think my only disagreement with you here is that I'm unwilling to say that this is true for Judaism and not for other religions. :-)