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Topic: Baal teshuva

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	Aish Kodesh - Library - Rav Weinberger's articles
		The Baal Teshuva is an individual who has undergone a transformation which in most cases completely redefines his position and role as a Jew and as a member of society as a whole.
		In the case of a Baal Teshuva the nonobservant wife will naturally claim that she has not deceived her husband in any way since when she married him (and possibly for many years afterward) her husband was nonobservant himself.
		In other words, if the mother of the Baal Teshuva was involved in a number of affairs in addition to her living with her husband at the time of the conception of the child, then the majority rule no longer applies and a suspicion of mamzerut does exist.
	www.aishkodesh.org /articles/library_ArticleDetail.asp?ArticleID=99&ArtType=R&left=&pgno=1 (10316 words)

	Chabad Lubavitch
		They have trained and ordained thousands of rabbis, educators, fundraisers, and administrators, who are all accompanied by equally motivated spouses and large families with the many children typical of very Orthodox couples, all of whom aim to fulfil their mandate of Jewish outreach, education, and revival.
		They look for and recruit people who want to join them, and they have been major players in the Baal teshuva movement of encouraging alienated Jews in becoming more religiously observant.
		Known as the Baal Shem Tov, abbreviated as BeSHT, meaning "Master of the Good Name", a title rarely applied, and only in exceptional circumstances to a known Jewish holy man and miracle worker beloved and revered by the common folk.
	www.ebroadcast.com.au /lookup/encyclopedia/lu/Lubavitch.html (687 words)

	Baal teshuva - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Baal teshuva (Hebrew: בעל תשובה; for a woman: בעלת תשובה, baalat teshuva; plural: בעלי תשובה, baalei teshuva) is a Hebrew term referring to a person who has repented.
		They served as the rabbis who jumpstarted the teshuva movement and had these services in place so that the new baalei teshuva had whom to turn to for their religious questions and needs.
		English, Russian, French and other translations of classical rabbinic literature and modern Jewish works are crucial to the growth and popularity of the Ba'al teshuva Movement.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Baal_teshuva (2871 words)

	Baal teshuva
		The term Baal Teshuva refers to a return of a Jewish person to a Jewishly observant lifestyle.
		Within Orthodox Judaism the term baal teshuva is restricted to refer only to those Jews who choose to affiliate with Orthodox Judaism; this because most of Orthodoxy does not recognize the validity of any denomination of Judaism other than itself.
		Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, leader of the Chabad (Also known as Lubavitch) Hasidic Judaism movement, was responsible for turning Chabad's stregth and activities towards outreach.
	www.ebroadcast.com.au /lookup/encyclopedia/ba/Baal_teshuva.html (1935 words)

	Baal teshuva
		The term Baal Teshuva, or Chozer BeTeshuva, refers to a return of a Jewish person to a Jewishly observant lifestyle.
		It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "Born-Again Judaism", because of its revivalistic aspects; however, the term is not correct, as Jewish theology rejects the idea that a return to Judaism "saves" a person from damnation.
		Appearing in the 1960s, a growing number of young Jews who had previously been raised in non-religious homes in the U.S.A. started to develop a strong interest in becoming a part of observant Judaism; many of these people, in contast to sociological expectations, became attracted to observant Judaism within Orthodoxy or Conservative Judaism.
	publicliterature.org /en/wikipedia/b/ba/baal_teshuva.html (2073 words)

	Baalei Teshuva and their Issues - Chabad Talk - Jewish Forum
		The baal Teshuvao has neither of these and I feel that a real way to help is to get older chassidim in their 60's+ to 'adopt' the baalai teshuva, and treat them like their own kids or grand children.
		This thread focuses on baalei teshuva and their present challenges with chinuch etc. which are specific to them, not having frum homes to learn from, as pointed out in the previous post.
		i think that part of becoming a baal teshuva should be to go into therapy and work out the issues of the past so that they remain in the past and don't get passed on to the future...
	www.chabadtalk.com /forum/showthread.php?t=923 (3424 words)

	Parashat Toldot 5747 - Rabbi Yaacov Haber's Torah Insights
		The argument for this is that it is easy enough to be observant if one grows up in an observant environment, but a baal teshuva, who tries to become observant later in life, is usually forced to make changes in his or her lifestyle and circle of friends, which can be quite difficult.
		A baal teshuva, whatever his difficulties may be, has an enthusiasm for an exciting new way of life, new experiences, new friends, which carries him through.
		Even though he may be the son of a tzaddik, who may be the son of another tzaddik, and so on, right back to the Baal Shem Tov or the Vilna Gaon (or perhaps because of that!) he may become blasé about performing mitzvos.
	www.ou.org /torah/haber/toldot47.html (728 words)

	Commentary on contemporary issues from a Torah perspective
		I received your letter a few days ago and was very pained by the anguish you have undergone for so many years because of your homosexuality and which is especially tortuous to you now that you have become a baal teshuvah.
		Although it is a serious sin, all humans by nature have spiritual shortcomings and this is why teshuva was given to them.
		Teshuva has the capacity to return a person to a state even higher that which he had before the sin.
	www.jerusalemletter.co.il /archives/March24,1998/homow.htm (1441 words)

	avakesh: Pitfalls of Kiruv
		A ba'al teshuva, on the other hand, goes against all his social tendencies, and changes his whole life for God.
		The temerity of a frum Jew, even a tzadik, to entertain the possibility that a true ba'al teshuva is somehow lacking in any way when compared with frum from birth is a real aveira.
		I'm not certain i agree with the point of this post, however in response to mevaseretzion, the gamara abt a baal teshuva holding a higher place does not refer to a BT as we use the term.
	www.avakesh.com /2006/10/pitfalls_of_kir.html (3850 words)

	TESHUVA (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		Teshuva defined as above; complete teshuva requires passing test of identical conditions of past failure out of motivation to do teshuva: (1) What is significance of difference?
		Teshuva relevant only for transgressions done deliberately or through negligence - for ; ; the usual baal teshuva neither is true of his pre-religious life
		Teshuva via awe or love; past becomes unintentional or good.
	www.dovidgottlieb.com /lectures/teshuva.htm (386 words)

	Light (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		All of the wicked and the heretics and similar, who returned in teshuva, whether in a revealed manner or in private, they are received as it is written 'return wayward children'.
		From here we see that repentance tears up decrees and judgments and breaks iron chains [that signify the desires and habits binding the wicked to their bad ways], and there is no one who can stand in the way to prevent a Baal Teshuva from returning.
		This is what is referred to in the verse, "And they went out and they saw the carcasses of the men who transgress against Me." (Isaiah 66:24) The verse does not state that the people transgressed in the past; rather it states that they transgress in the present.
	home.primus.ca /~aharonbenjamin/gpage.html20.html (3766 words)

	Moment Magazine - Features (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		Green has become a baal teshuva, Hebrew for “master of return,” and she is not alone.
		Greenman says he has seen a marked increase in baalei teshuva in recent years, and predicts that the number will continue climbing—reaching what he calls a “critical mass” of an estimated 4 to 5 percent of the Jewish population over the next five years.
		Greenman, 37, himself a baal teshuva, says that young people—most of those he works with at Aish Hatorah in New York City are in their 20s and 30s—turn to Orthodoxy because they are looking for a spiritual anchor in a fast-paced world.
	www.momentmag.com /archive/dec01/feat1.html (2406 words)

	Desires from Eden (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		The baal teshuva, who has tasted the forbidden and is trying to make restitution in this physical world, must return to G-d until he comes to the point that eating pork and indulging in other forbidden temptations would be absolutely and totally disgusting to the point of utter revulsion.
		A baal teshuva must purify and refine himself, combating and resisting his sensual desires until he is disgusted and nauseated by them; until they become thoroughly abhorrent to him.
		But as long as the baal teshuva doesn't come to despise his physical and sensual desires, can never be sure of his teshuva.
	www.kabbalaonline.org /WeeklyTorah/ChasidicMasters/Desires_from_Eden.asp (1699 words)

	Chabad Lubavitch in Cyberspace
		Among the many mitzvot involved in teshuva is the act of confession, as the Torah states, "You shall confess your sin." Indeed, this is the basis for the "Al Cheit" ("For the Sin of...") confessional recited on Yom Kippur, which enumerates the various sins a person may have committed.
		There are two basic motivations for doing teshuva: an initial stage, in which a person repents out of a sense of fear, and a higher level, on which the motivation is love for G-d.
		This is also one of the major aspects and resolutions of Yom Kippur, characterized by teshuva, prayer and tzedaka, as is also emphasized in the Haftorah of the day: "This is the fast I choose...
	www.lchaimweekly.org /lchaim/5761/639 (3806 words)

	Jewish Professionals Institute (JPI) - Holocaust Thesis Chapter 9
		The baal teshuvah, the returner to Judaism or to a more intense observance of it, became a commonplace phenomenon.
		It has oft been noted that teshuva seems to "be in the air", and indeed the many movements currently succeeding to an unprecedented degree in bringing Jews closer to Judaism are but a reflection of the fact that the very climate is permeated with a kind of teshuva-readiness.
		This climate is the result of the disappointment in gentiles which demolished the first stumbling-block to teshuva, and forced the recognition that "it is because my God has not been in my midst" that the awesome events of recent times have occurred.
	www.jpi.org /holocaust/hlchp9a.htm (3545 words)

	The Jewish Observer - Integration: Helping Baalei Teshuva be Themselves
		This is one of the most crucial, yet painful, stages in a baal teshuva’s development: the realization that in the world of Torah he cannot follow his own hunches in deciding what is right and what is wrong.
		But the guidance given to a baal or baalas teshuva in this regard must take into account that this individual is a product of cultural and educational influences that, for better or for worse, played a great role in forming his personality and attitudes.
		A similar situation exists with connection to something which is taken for granted in the Torah world: that as a young man or woman enter adulthood, it is natural and desirable that they plan on marrying and raising a family.
	www.shemayisrael.com /jewishobserver/archives/dec/kokis.htm (2539 words)

	Repentance in Judaism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
		Repentance in Judaism known as Teshuva (Hebrew תשובה, literally Returning), is the way of atoning for sin in Judaism.
		This means that he ceases his forbidden actions, regrets what he has done, confesses before God, and firmly resolves never to repeat those actions.
		Yom Kippur (the day of atonement) is a day of fasting at the culmination of which Judgement for that year is sealed.
	en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Teshuva (578 words)

	Parashat Tzav - Rabbi Yaacov Haber's Torah Insights
		The last step in the Rambam's list of steps for teshuva is the (sincere) statement by the penitent: "I am someone else, not the same person (as the one who sinned)".
		Aharon had indeed gone through all the technicalities of teshuva for the sin of the Golden Calf, and was therefore qualified to be Kohen Gadol.
		In terms of our discussion, we can say that a tzaddik is one who has performed teshuva according to all the rules, but without the last step of remaking his neshama, and a servant of G-d is one who has performed this final step as well.
	www.ou.org /torah/haber/tzav48.htm (803 words)

	FrumTeens.com - Torah for Teenagers
		You should tell this Baal Teshuva that he really should not be learning this stuff.
		They are also the only group of peopel who would so stupidly teach a starting Baal Teshuva these things.
		Please tell your Baal Teshuva friend that he has to learn to walk before he runs.
	frumteens.com /topic.php?topic_id=5548&forum_id=2&... (430 words)

	Beyond BT » Blog Archive » Rabbi Mayer Schiller - The Biggest Challenges Facing Baalei Teshuva (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		At the beginning, I think a baal teshuva is haunted by a certain loneliness in, and sense of alienation from his new environment.
		Comments like “you are SUCH a baal teshuvah.” In one case that comment was even meant explicitly as a compliment, but it revealed something I found disturbing.
		About Us Beyond Teshuva is focused on providing ideas, connection and support for Baalei Teshuva in their continuing quest of learning, growing, and giving.
	www.beyondbt.com /?p=36 (3981 words)

	The Muqata جميل في المقاطعة: Guest Post: Can a Baal Teshuva with doubts remain Frum?
		If you became a Ba'al Teshuvah while doubting, I think there is a high chance that you can persist and persevere (assuming you desire to do so) simply because you have done it before.
		As a ba'al teshuva who has been observant for more than twenty-five years, I will try to answer you...with trepidation.
		Once you've taken the step to become a baal teshuvah and marry someone frum, HH, I don't think you'll be able to feel happy without bringing God into the equation.
	muqata.blogspot.com /2006/05/guest-post-can-baal-teshuva-with.html (16096 words)

	Jewish Post - News - Marc Chagall At The Jewish Museum (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		It was not possible to illuminate this period in Chagall's life," explained Baal Teshuva, the author of Marc Chagall, 1887-1985 (Taschen, 1998).
		Baal Teshuva believes in the notion that we cannot understand Chagall's works if we do not understand Judaism, Yiddish culture, Jewish mentality and Jewish humor.
		But Chagall himself was afraid that someone would define him as a Jewish artist.
	www.jewishpost.com /jp0708/jpn0708d.htm (559 words)

	Baal Teshuva Reading
		A sociology professor’s study of American and Israeli ba’alei teshuva remains the classic contemporary source despite being somewhat dated.
		The author is himself a ba’al teshuva who hopes to inspire others to follow the same path.
		A writer’s younger brother becomes a ba’al teshuva, and she agonizes over her own choices.
	www.kensherman.com /Services/ReadList.html (250 words)

	Central Europe Review - Jews in Bohemia
		Those Jews who returned to practicing their religion above ground during the latter years of Communism, and then after November 1989, are part of a worldwide return to traditional Judaism known in Hebrew as Baal Teshuva, literally a "master of the repentance." In Judaism, observance is characterized by the 613 Biblical commandments, or mizvot.
		In reality, being baal teshuva entails more an embrace of the Biblical commandments than any particular regret of past actions.
		The Chief Rabbi of Prague, who was a secular novelist and playwright in the 1960s before undergoing his own teshuva in Israel and Germany, is one of only a few parents of the twentysomethings who can be found in synagogue regularly.
	www.ce-review.org /99/8/roth8.html (1855 words)

	baal - nm14-173
		Biblical name – BAAL was a leader of the tribe of Reuben (I Chronicles 5:5).
		Taken together, and reading from right to left, they spell BAAL.
		Each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet has a special meaning and a story to tell.
	www.biblicalbabyname.com /item.cfm?itemid=7199 (395 words)

	Ohr Somayach - Jerusalem Echoes Audio Library / Introduction (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		Yet, when we speak of these young people, we use the term ‘Baal Teshuva’ - one who returns.
		‘Teshuva’ means return, but it also means answer, or response, or perhaps...echo.
		It is the answering echo of a covenant that has reverberated through the centuries; a covenant binding a people and their G-d with a law and a land.
	ohr.edu /yhiy/article.php/1628 (382 words)

	Beyond BT » Blog Archive » Baalei Teshuva and Aliyah (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-15)
		Much of the success of the Baal Teshuva movement in the U.S. can be attributed to the fact that it has never been easier to be an orthodox Jew.
		The Israelis generally have no conception of what the baal teshuvah from chutz l’aretz is going through, and the “chutznakim” are often overwhelmed with their own challenges to provide much support.
		Baalei Teshuva are often [unfortunately] much less connected to their families, don’t share a Shabbos table or a Pesach Seder, so that the uprooting you’re describing is often a lot less traumatic for them.
	www.beyondbt.com /?p=363 (6540 words)

	The Commentator - A Bare Head is a Cold Head: A Baal Teshuva's Perspective on Kippot
		A Bare Head is a Cold Head: A Baal Teshuva's Perspective on Kippot
		Being a ba'al tshuva for two years, I can confidently say that I have lived on both sides.
		The issue of students wearing yarmulkes on campus has clearly shown to be a sensitive one and I will attempt to further educate those who are ignorant of one lifestyle over another.
	www.yucommentator.com /home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=12901717-00cb-44e6-b9ba-d08282307fa6 (1515 words)

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