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Judaism
Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
, a ''ba'al teshuvah'' ( he, בעל תשובה; for a woman, , or ; plural, , , 'master of return
God.html"_;"title="God_in_Judaism.html"_;"title="o_God_in_Judaism">God">God_in_Judaism.html"_;"title="o_God_in_Judaism">God)_is_a_Jew_who_adopts_some_form_of_traditional_religious_observance_after_having_previously_followed_a_Jewish_secularism.html" "title="God_in_Judaism">God.html" ;"title="God_in_Judaism.html" ;"title="o God in Judaism">God">God_in_Judaism.html" ;"title="o God in Judaism">God) is a Jew who adopts some form of traditional religious observance after having previously followed a Jewish secularism">secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
lifestyle or a less stringent form of Judaism.
Originally, the term referred to a Jew who transgressed the ''halakhah'' (Jewish law) knowingly or unknowingly and completed a process of introspection to "return" to the full observance of God's ''mitzvot''.
According to the ''Mishneh Torah'' of
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah ...
, the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
says that a true ''ba'al teshuvah'' stands higher in ''
shamayim
''Shamayim'' ( he, ''šāmayīm, heavens') is the dwelling place of God and other heavenly beings according to the Bible. It is one of three components of the biblical cosmology. There are two other ones. ''Eretz,'' the earth, home of the livin ...
'' (lit. 'heaven') than a "
frum from birth", even higher than a
tzadik
Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. Th ...
:
In modern times, the phrase is primarily used to refer to a Jew from a non-
Orthodox background who becomes religiously observant in an Orthodox fashion. However, there is no strict definition of a ''ba'al teshuva'' and so the concept can also encompass Orthodox-leaning Jews who become stricter in their observance, such as those who go from keeping
kosher
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
only at home to also avoiding non-
kosher restaurants.
The alternative term, (), plural , is more commonly used in
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. In Hebrew, translates to 'returning to return' or 'returning to repentance'.
According to the teachings of the
Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...
, "whoever judges himself will not be judged"; however, in the described history of
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
ic times and early
Hasidism
Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism ( Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of cont ...
, many tzadikim were able to "see" the transgressions of others.
For the most part, the stature and the preparation of these Tzadikim presuppose a balance that allows a peaceful coexistence even with those who have committed serious transgressions because otherwise, the intent to rage against them and, worse, to obtain advantages from them would certainly prevail.
See also
*
Baal teshuva movement
*
Orthodox Judaism outreach
Orthodox Jewish outreach, often referred to as ''Kiruv'' or ''Qiruv'' ( he, קירוב "bringing close"), is the collective work or movement of Orthodox Judaism that reaches out to non-observant Jews to encourage belief in God and life accor ...
References
*
Hebrew words and phrases
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