Although no one is claiming our community is perfect, do you think the Torah Observant Jews you’ve met are generally good friends and neighbors? Are you happy you’re living in a Torah Observant Community? Could you imagine yourself not living in a Read More »
199 posts
Beyond BT – The Baal Teshuva site 
Baalei Teshuva and Other Growth Oriented Jews
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Hallel’s Excellent Adventure
Reprinted from JewishMom.com . “Umm, well, you see Morah Achinoam…” “Hallel needs to take two weeks off from school in January in order to travel to Canada to ‘discover her roots’…” A “Masa Shorashim.” That was the embarrassingly lame white lie I invented in order to justify Hallel’s upcoming two-week absence from 6th grade. Read More »
The Teshuva Journey: Blame the Amish!
If you want to know Beth Rubin’s role models to becoming religious, it was the Amish. Beth* grew up in a very Jewish neighborhood of Philadelphia. Everyone that she knew was Jewish, and they all went to afternoon Hebrew school and had lavish Bar and Bar Mitzvah parties. Read More »
Beyond Prayer – A Fountain of Chesed
Beyond Prayer – A Fountain of Chesed, on Shul Politics . Related items Understanding Your Shul President Why You Need Shul Bylaws You’re in My Seat; BTs on the Big Bang; The BT Handbook Mini Series: On Becoming a Baal Teshuva Make Your Sefira Count – Read More »
A Knowing Heart
And Moshe said so to the children of Israel, and they did not listen to Moshe because of “shortness of breath” and the difficulty of the work. Read More »
Has Torah Observant Lead You to a More Meaningful Life?
One of the leader’s of the positive psychology movement Dr. Martin Seligman states that there are three distinct kinds of happiness: the Pleasant Life (pleasures), the Good Life (engagement), and the Meaningful Life. Read More »
Black Ice
I don my trusty backpack for my early morning walk to the supermarket, stocking up for Shabbos cooking and tonight’s dinner before the sun even rises. This is how I start my day, while my husband is davening in morning minyan, while my teenage children catch the last moments of slumber. Read More »
Frozen Jews
Originally Posted on Oct 25, 2006 When Modiin was first built, it was designed as a ‘secular’ haven for the people who used to fancy living in Jerusalem, but didn’t want hareidim for neighbours. Read More »
The Kindness of Seat Eviction
Just like Beyond BT moments happen, so do Shul Politics moments. Here’s a recent happening: The Kindness of Seat Eviction . Read More »
Shovavim
It’s Parsha Shemos and also the beginning of Shovavim. Here’s some links on the whys and wherefores of Shovavim. Shovavim and Self Improvement : Shovavim is an acronym for the parshiyot that we read during the period between Chanukah and Purim. Read More »
How Can We Bring Baalei Teshuva and Their Teachers Even Closer
We’re (Mark & David) speaking at the AJOP conference this Sunday, January 15, 2011, at two sessions . We’re scheduled at the same time as Rabbi Rietti and Lori Palatnik, among others, so we may be speaking to each other. Read More »
Denouncing Spiritual Terrorism
On March 16, 1968, soldiers of the 1st Battalion’s Charlie Company committed one of the most notorious war crimes in American history when they brutally massacred over 300 villagers in the Vietnamese hamlet of Mỹ Lai. Read More »
My Brothers Do I Seek
My Brothers Do I Seek By Jonathan Rosenblum I came to full Jewish observance relatively late in life. I was nearly thirty and married when I first walked through the doors of Ohr Somayach. I don’t fully remember the entire process of becoming religious. Read More »
Ten for the Tenth of Teves
Ten points about the Tenth of Teves from an article by Rabbi Berel Wein . 1) The Tenth of Tevet marks the onset of the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylonia, and the beginning of the battle that ultimately destroyed Jerusalem. Read More »
Just Six Words
My daughter’s English teacher assigned the class six word memoirs. The six word memoir has become a popular vehicle for breaking the ice and for stimulating creativity. Basically, you sum up your life (or a major aspect of it) in six words. Ernest Hemingway is said to have penned this somber six word memoir: “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn”. Read More »
Finding Our Voice When We’ve Stretched Too Far
By Sara Taub The question of this post is directed at brave and inquiring minds which let go of attachments to material and professional accomplishments and replace them with goals more eternal. It is among people such as these that I think this question would most likely arise. Read More »
The Halachos of New Year
Over at Hirhurim, (R’ Gil Student’s blog), Rabbi Michael Broyde has a good analysis of the halachic issues regarding “celebrating” secular holidays . Here’s an excerpt: It is quite clear that on a historical level that Catholic Europe celebrated New Years day religiously for centuries. Read More »
Safe Children, Safe Communities
Let’s not mince words. The future of our charedi community is quite literally in existential danger as the tension in Beit Shemesh plays itself out in the international media. Read More »
It’s Hard to Pray
I don’t remember whether anyone told me that it’s hard to pray when I first got involved in Torah. Over at ShulPolitics.com there’s a new post called Judaism’s Little Secret – It’s Hard to Pray . Give it a read and leave a comment over there if you’re so inclined. Read More »
How Would You Make Good Kiruv Even Better?
We’re (David & Mark) speaking at this year’s AJOP Conference sharing what we’ve learned from the Beyond BT community in its six years of existence. Our sense is that most BTs are very thankful to the people who taught and helped in their Teshuva process, but there’s always room for improvement. Read More »
NCSY and the Sweet Sounds of Gratitude
It always happens to me during mussaf of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. On a good morning it will hit me during Hallel. On a recent Shabbos, I thought about it while an excellent baal tefillah was davening the kedusha of mussaf. What plagues my mind at these odd times? Basically that I am thankful to NCSY (the youth movement of the Orthodox Union). Read More »
Continuing to Access the Power of Chanukah
We pasken like Bais Hillel and we increase the candles as Chanukah progresses indicating and increase in accessing the power of the holiday. R’ Yaakov Astor discusses this in Reality and Potential … Most people can experience the initial joy that comes along with lighting the menorah. Read More »
Chanukah: Overcoming Our Greekness
By Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller Dear friends: Chanukah is here! When you think of the victory of light over the darkness that the ancient Greeks tried to spread, you can’t help but think of the world as it is today, sit by the light and know that there is light in the darkest times. Read More »
What Should We Put On A Beyond BT Handout Card?
We want to create cards (business card size, front and back back text if necessary) to hand out to tell people about Beyond BT and encourage BTs, Kiruv professionals, Rebbeim and those interested in BT issues to give us a visit and a read. Read More »
The 60 Second Guide to Chanukah
The Battle of the Spiritual vs the Physical To understand any Jewish Holiday it is helpful to restate the foundation of Judaism, which is that there is a G-d, who is completely spiritual who created a world with physical and spiritual parts. Man is the only creation with both a spiritual side (the soul) and a physical side (the body). Read More »
The Phases of the Newly Observant
By Aliza Bulow A general look at the developmental stages of the baal teshuva I have spent over 30 years in the world of baal teshuvas, as both an emerging baal teshuva myself, and as an educator and guide for hundreds of other baal teshuvas. Read More »
Sharing the Joy of Others
We’ve recently discussed some of the generalities of which Shuls are right for which people. Perhaps a sometimes overlooked benefit is sharing in the joy of others and the positive character development that brings in its wake. Read More »
What are the Major Issues Regarding “I’m Frum, My Family Isn’t”
As the Rabbi of a wonderfully diverse shul, Lincoln Square Synagogue , with a large number of people who have family members who aren’t observant, I am starting a new class entitled “I’m Frum, My Family Isn’t: Halachic solutions to religious Read More »
The Candles and the Tree
It was the December after my ninth birthday. A menorah rested on the bookshelf over the television console. Across the room, beside the fireplace, the lights of a tree twinkled red and green and blue. I was standing next to my mother as she held a candle in her hand. My father wasn’t there. He wasn’t into these things. Read More »
Financial Independence and Success in the T’shuvah Process
By Michoel I have a feeling that some will read this and their reaction will be “mai k’mashma lan?” As in, “Why is he wasting perfectly good kilobytes on the patently obvious?” But to me, the thoughts contained here were not so self-apparent and I have found them very important. Read More »
Vayishlach
Check out Steve Brizel’s Parsha Round Up . –The Ramban on Vayishlach (Translation From Parsha Parts ) This Parsha was written to make known that HaKodosh Boruch Hu saved his servant Yaakov and redeemed him from a power mighter than he. Hashem sent an angel and saved him. Read More »
Why Are Successful Mentor Programs Hard to Establish?
We mentioned 5 categories of support for BTs a few weeks ago: 1) Teachers of fundamental and advanced Torah topics 2) Rabbis who can rule on halachic questions 3) Mentors who act as surrogate parents and help with major topics like Shidduchim, Read More »
Mother’s Prayer
By Anonymous This story is just so perverse I thought it best to say in verse. I’ve got a daughter, aged 23 Already grown up, you say to me. I raised her right at least I tried. Sent her to Bais Yaacov to bring me pride. Read More »
Understanding Your Shul President
He Needs Your Love – Understanding Your Shul President at ShulPolitics.com . People who looked at this item also looked at… Sefiras Ha’Omer: the BT Nemesis? Parsha Lech Lecha Related items Why You Need Shul Bylaws You’re in My Seat; BTs on the Big Read More »
Bright Line
I think one of the fundamental challenges or complaints of baalei teshuva is that there is no bright line that defines what is “enough.” And there isn’t. Read More »
Parshat Vayetze Torah Thoughts
#28 Yaakov’s Dream With the Ladder In Berishis Chapter 28 it says 20) And Yaakov made a vow, saying: ‘If G-d (Elokim) will be with me, and will guard me on this path that I am going, and will give me bread to eat, and clothing to wear, 21) and if I Read More »
Should Baalei Teshuvas Mainstream?
There has always been discussion in the BT abd Torah Observant communities about mainstreaming. Baalei Teshuva Oriented Shuls 1) are sensitive to the needs of BTs 2) make it easy for BTs to fit in 3) keep BTs segregated in a comfortable environment Read More »
Why You Need Shul Bylaws
Check out Why You Need Shul Bylaws on Shul Politics . There’s even some great sample bylaws to get you going if you need them. Here’s the opening paragraph from the post: You can hear the sound of a collective eye roll when you mention Shul bylaws. They’re usually found only in democratic shuls or independent minyanim. Read More »
Chanukah: Torah and Play Do Go Together
By David One of the more interesting and different stories related to Chanukah are those surrounding Dreidels . According to many traditional accounts, the Dreidel was used as ruse to cover up the studying of Torah when Greek soldiers would come upon groups of children with their teachers. Read More »
Can the Ends Really Justify the Means?
In this week’s Mishpacha magazine , Yonoson Rosenblum’s weekly column presented an interesting point. He writes: “Chazal enjoin us in many places to carefully consider the impact of our words. Read More »
Parshas Toldos – FFB and BT Tzaddikim
Rabbi Yaacov Haber has an interesting piece on Parsha Toldos where he points out: – Rashi says that Yitzchak’s prayers were answered instead of Rifkas because he was a Tzaddik, who was a child of a Tzaddik, while Rivka was a Tzaddik who was the child of a Rasha. Read More »
What Issues are You Confronting This Thanksgiving?
What issues will you be confronted with on Thanksgiving? Kosher food issues. Inappropriate discussions. Inappropriate dress. Hostility towards Orthodoxy. General discomfort. Everything is fine. And if you don’t have any issues to share, here’s our BBT Thanksgiving Roundup from last year. Read More »
Getting Members Upset, Tzinuis, Awareness, Integration
Shul Politics on Why Shul Members Get Upset Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller mp3s from November 22 – Queens visit on Tzinuis and Bein Adam L’Chaveiro can be downloaded here . on Not Sleeping Through Life can be downloaded here . on Closing The Gap Between Mind, Heart, Actionb can be downloaded here . Read More »
Why Kiruv Sometimes Fails
By Shira. After getting married, Shira’s husband became a BT. They’ve worked together to patch a semi-frum lifestyle together which includes attending an orthodox shul, keep a kosher home, and keeping shabbos. Read More »
Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller on Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel zt”l
Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller will be lecturing around the United States for 2 weeks, starting today. Here is her itinerary . She will be speaking at Congregation Ahavas Yisroel at 147-02 73rd Avenue, Kew Gardens Hills, NY 11367 for Women on the topic “Closing the Gap Between Mind, Heart and Action”. Read More »
What Type of Support Are You Missing?
BTs tackle the Torah life on their own and need to develop their own support systems. Perhaps we can classify the type of support into 5 categories: 1) Teachers of fundamental and advance Torah topics 2) Rabbis who can rule on halachic questions 3) Read More »
You’re in My Seat; BTs on the Big Bang; The BT Handbook
ShulPolitics.com: Pardon Me, But You’re in My Seat Jew in the City: Science vs. Religion: Mayim Bialik and the OTHER Big Bang Theory The BT Handbook: If I want to start learning Torah, where should I begin? People who looked at this item also looked Read More »
The Zoo in You
By Ari Taback It has got to rate as one of the most bizarre news stories of the decade. A few weeks ago, authorities in the town of Zanesville, Ohio began receiving alarming calls about exotic wild animals roaming their neighbourhood. Read More »
Should Jews be Paid to Study Torah?
I signed up this year to participate in a Bet Midrash program for international students studying abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The program pairs local English speakers with students to study in a one-on-one chevruta. I had participated in a similar program as a young professional back in Washington, D.C. Read More »
Parsha Lech Lecha
Lech Lecha is such a foundation parsha and probably the most popular one for BTs to start with when they start learning. Minimally you can read an Art Scroll translation to fulfill the mitzvah of Shneim Mikra V’Echad Targum and there’s so much available in English and Hebrew on the Parsha. Read More »
Advice for People Who Want to Develop Their Spiritual Side
If you were giving advice to someone who knows very little about Torah Judaism and is over 30, but seriously wants to develop their spiritual side what advice would you give them: a) Call Partners in Torah for a one-on-one learning partner b) Contact Read More »
Check Out ShulPolitics.Com
Check out our new site called ShulPolitics.com . Take a look and tell your friends. It should be of interest to all Jews. Related items Mini Series: On Becoming a Baal Teshuva Make Your Sefira Count – Review the Six Constant Mitzvos Teleconference: And You Shall Tell Your Son: Developing “REAL”ationships with Your Children Teleconference: Thurs. Read More »
An Alter Mirrer and Beyond BT
By Yakov Spil Years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a Yid who was among the distinguished group of talmidim, who are becoming more and more rare, known as Alter Mirrers. Read More »
Noach was a good man, a good man, a good man…
Noach was a good man a good man, a good man Noach was a good man ….In his time – A Cheder Song Noach is described as a Tzaddik, but the first Rashi on the Parsha casts a shadow on his righteousness. Dig in to the parsha and rediscover Noach’s greatness. Read More »
Teens at Risk and Baalei Teshuva Study- What do you think the results will be?
Last week’s AJOP weekly email contained the following: Results of the First Study on Teens at Risk and Baalei Teshuva to be Released at AJOP Convention Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education in partnership with the Read More »
Over My Head
I don’t “wear” at work. A yarmulke, that is. Oh I wear it. Everyone who works in my office has seen me in my yarmulke. I wear it when I make a brocha on my coffee and when I wash for lunch. You might see me in the corridor muttering something when I come back from the men’s room. Read More »
Learning the Parsha
Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg has been quoted saying that a person can fulfill the Targum (translation) portion of Shnayim Mikra V’Echad Targum by reading the Art Scroll translation. (I’m assuming that a Metsudah translation would also suffice. Read More »
A Sukkale a Kleine – Meaningful Succos Music
By Gershon Seif When I was in elementary school back in the 60′s, Jewish music was a bit different than the kind of stuff that you hear nowadays. On an album called The Rabbi’s Sons, there was a an old Yiddish song about a Jew who built himself a simple little Sukkah that can barely stand. Read More »
Sukkot/Succos Links
Beyond BT Contributor, Rabbi Yonason Goldson on Sukkot and the War against Terror . In his visionary writings, the prophet Ezekiel describes a great battle on the eve of the messianic era, when the all forces of evil in the world combine themselves into a great army called by the name Gog and Magog. Read More »
The 60 Second Guide to Succos
Three Principals of Judaism Judaism believes in the importance of both action and belief. The Jewish principals of belief can be divided into three categories 1) G-d is the source and ultimate authority over all existence, 2) G-d revealed his plan Read More »
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