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Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah (; for a woman, ???? ?????, baalat teshuva; plural, ???? ?????, baalei teshuva), sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jewish person who embraces Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "master of return", i.e., one who has repented
Repentance in Judaism

Repentance in Judaism known as teshuva , is the way of atoning for sin in Judaism.According to halakha, if someone commits a sin, a forbidden act, he can be forgiven for that sin if he performs teshuva, which includes:...
 or "returned" to God. It is often contrasted with "FFB" (Frum
Frum

Frum , from the German language fromm, meaning "devout" or "pious", is a Yiddish language word meaning committed to be observant of the 613 Mitzvot, or Jewish commandments, specifically of Orthodox Judaism....
 From Birth), which refers to Orthodox Jews who are born into families that are already religiously observant, and who have been practicing Judaism from birth or a young age.

Historically, the term referred to a Jew who transgressed the halakhah (Jewish law) and completed a process of introspection to "return" to the straight path.






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Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah (; for a woman, ???? ?????, baalat teshuva; plural, ???? ?????, baalei teshuva), sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jewish person who embraces Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "master of return", i.e., one who has repented
Repentance in Judaism

Repentance in Judaism known as teshuva , is the way of atoning for sin in Judaism.According to halakha, if someone commits a sin, a forbidden act, he can be forgiven for that sin if he performs teshuva, which includes:...
 or "returned" to God. It is often contrasted with "FFB" (Frum
Frum

Frum , from the German language fromm, meaning "devout" or "pious", is a Yiddish language word meaning committed to be observant of the 613 Mitzvot, or Jewish commandments, specifically of Orthodox Judaism....
 From Birth), which refers to Orthodox Jews who are born into families that are already religiously observant, and who have been practicing Judaism from birth or a young age.

Historically, the term referred to a Jew who transgressed the halakhah (Jewish law) and completed a process of introspection to "return" to the straight path. In contemporary times, the phrase is primarily used to refer to a Jew from a secular background
Secular Jewish culture

Secular Jewish culture embraces several related phenomena; above all, it is the culture of Secularity communities of Jewish people, but it can also include the cultural contributions of individuals who identify as secular Jews, or even those of religious Jews working in cultural areas not generally considered to be connected to religion....
 who becomes religiously observant (normally in an Orthodox fashion) later in life. (The alternative term, "khozer biteshuva" (???? ??????) is more commonly used in Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
).

The Talmud
Talmud

The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Halakha, Jewish ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
 expresses high regard for baalei teshuva with the statement, "In the place where baalei teshuva stand, even the perfectly righteous cannot stand" (Berakhot
Berakhot (Talmud)

Berakhot is the first masekhet of Zeraim of the Mishnah, the first major text of Jewish law. It primarily addresses the rules regarding the Shema Yisrael, the Amidah, Birkat Hamazon , Kiddush , Havdalah and other blessings and prayers....
 34b)."

Baal teshuva movement

There are numerous baal teshuva movement
Baal teshuva movement

Baal teshuva movement refers to a worldwide phenomenon among the Jewish people. It began during the mid-twentieth century, when large numbers of previously highly assimilated Jews chose to move in the direction of practicing Judaism....
s and organizations that seek to encourage this.

Famous baalei teshuva


See also

  • List of Baalei teshuva
    List of Baalei teshuva

    This article endeavors to list some notable Jews who were raised in secular/non-practicing/atheistic/agnostic Jewish households, including being raised in a different religion than Judaism, or, although being raised Orthodox left it, then at some point in their lives took up/returned to Orthodox practices...
  • Orthodox Judaism outreach
    Orthodox Judaism outreach

    Orthodox Jewish outreach commonly referred to as Kiruv or Keruv , is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-Orthodox Jews to believe in Names of God in Judaism, engage in Torah study, and practice the 613 Mitzvot in the hope that they will live according to Orthodox Halakha....
  • Aish HaTorah
    Aish HaTorah

    Aish HaTorah is a Orthodox Judaism organization and yeshiva. Aish HaTorah, is a staunchly pro-Israel, Religious Zionism organization, that promotes Jewish pride and helps send young American Jews to Israel....
  • Ohr Somayach


External links