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Baal teshuva or ba'al teshuvah (; for a woman, בעלת תשובה, baalat teshuva; plural, בעלי תשובה, baalei teshuva), sometimes abbreviated to BT, is a term referring to a Jewish person who turns to embrace Orthodox Judaism. Baal teshuva literally means, "master of return", i.e., one who has repented or "returned" to God. It is often contrasted with "FFB" (Frum 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 who becomes religiously observant (normally in an Orthodox fashion) later in life. (The alternative term, khozer biteshuva (חוזר בתשובה) is more commonly used in Israel).
The Talmud expresses high regard for baalei teshuva with the statement, "In the place where baalei teshuva stand, even the perfectly righteous cannot stand" (Berakhot 34b)."
Baal teshuva movementThere are numerous baal teshuva movements and organizations that seek to encourage this.
Famous baalei teshuvaList of Baalei teshuva
See alsoOrthodox Judaism outreach
Chabad
Oorah (organization)
Aish HaTorah
Ohr Somayach
The Jerusalem Kollel
External links[http://web.archive.org/web/20080207105428/http://www.aishkodesh.org/articles/library_ArticleDetail.asp?ArticleID=99&ArtType=R&left=1&pgno=1 The Baal Teshuva and the Jewish Community: Re-entry Problems - includes issues relating to ben niddah]
[http://www.teshuvahnetwork.com The Teshuvah Network - The only online forum by Baalei Teshuvah, for Baalei Teshuvah.]
Category:Hebrew words and phrases
ceb:Ba’al teshuva
he:חזרה בתשובה
nl:Ba'al tesjoewa
pt:Baal Teshuva
yi:בעל תשובה
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