baal teshuva

Edit

Pronunciations

baal teshuva (bahl CHOO-vuh) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. a Jew raised non-religious who becomes Orthodox, [lit. 'one who returns/repents']

  • n. "Newly religious Jew; penitent" (Glinert)

  • n. A Jew from a secular background who chooses to become observant.

Example Sentences

  • "What can I tell you about Fran? Well, she's married to a baal teshuva and she lives in Jerusalem and she has four kids..." (Glinert)

  • "Now that he's a baal teshuva, it's only a matter of time before he goes to study in a yeshivah in Israel." (JPS)

  • "Gabby falls into the common baal teshuvah pattern of wanting to take on all obligations at once, with the strictest interpretations feeling most authentic."
    (source)

  • "Rebecca is a bal tshuvah; she started keeping kosher and Shabbos when she was 17."

  • View More

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • בעל תשובה ba'al teshuva 'master of repentance'

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      baal-t'shuveh, ba'al t'shuveh, bal t'shuveh, baal t'shuveh, ba'al t'shuvah, bal t'shuvah, baal t'shuvah, ba'al-t'shuve, bal-t'shuve, baal-t'shuve, ba'al t'shuve, bal t'shuve, baal t'shuve, ba'al-t'shuvo, bal-t'shuvo, baal-t'shuvo, ba'al t'shuvo, bal t'shuvo, baal t'shuvo, ba'al-t'shuva, bal-t'shuva, baal-t'shuva, ba'al t'shuva, bal t'shuva, baal t'shuva, bal tshuveh, bal tshuve, bal-tshuveh, bal-tshuve, ba'al tshuveh, ba'al tshuve, ba'al-tshuveh, baal tshuveh, ba'al-tshuve, baal tshuve, baal-tshuveh, baal-tshuve, bal teshuveh, bal teshuve, bal-teshuveh, bal-teshuve, ba'al teshuveh, ba'al teshuve, ba'al-teshuveh, ba'al-teshuve, baal teshuveh, baal teshuve, baal-teshuveh, baal-teshuve, bal tshuvoh, bal tshuvo, bal-tshuvoh, bal-tshuvo, ba'al tshuvoh, ba'al tshuvo, ba'al-tshuvoh, ba'al-tshuvo, baal tshuvoh, baal tshuvo, baal-tshuvoh, baal-tshuvo, bal teshuvoh, bal teshuvo, bal-teshuvoh, bal-teshuvo, ba'al teshuvoh, ba'al teshuvo, ba'al-teshuvoh, ba'al-teshuvo, baal teshuvoh, baal teshuvo, baal-teshuvoh, baal-teshuvo, bal tshuvah, bal tshuva, bal-tshuvah, bal-tshuva, ba'al tshuvah, ba'al tshuva, ba'al-tshuvah, ba'al-tshuva, baal tshuvah, baal tshuva, baal-tshuvah, baal-tshuva, bal teshuvah, bal teshuva, bal-teshuvah, bal-teshuva, ba'al teshuvah, ba'al teshuva, ba'al-teshuvah, ba'al-teshuva, baal teshuvah, baal teshuva, baal-teshuvah, baal-t'shuvah, bal-t'shuvah, ba'al-t'shuvah, baal t'shuvoh, bal t'shuvoh, ba'al t'shuvoh, baal-t'shuvoh, bal-t'shuvoh, ba'al-t'shuvoh, bal-t'shuveh, ba'al-t'shuveh, baltshuve, baal-teshuva, baal-teshuva

Notes

  • The abbreviation "BT" is sometimes used. Other forms: Fem. ba'alas teshuva / ba'alat teshuva / baalas tshuva (בעלת תשובה). Plural ba'alei teshuva / baalei teshuva / baaley tshuva / balei tshuva (בעלי תשובה). fem. ba'alot teshuva (בעלות תשובה).

    "The 1970s and 1980s saw a big wave of baaley teshuva, typically students from well-to-do homes in the United States and Israel who felt that they had grown up with an empty lifestyle and wanted to find their Jewish roots. This meant going to men's or women's yeshiva (seminary) to study the classic Jewish sources and the observances" (Glinert).

    Original meaning is someone who transgresses and repents.

    "Baalat-teshuva" is the feminine counterpart. (JPS)
    "Baalei-teshuva" is the plural masculine counterpart.
    "Baaltot-teshuva" is the plural feminine counterpart.

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.