09/18/2026
My Testimony from 1990 — 2006. Shortly afterwards, I became a Baal Teshuva.
A “Baal Teshuva,” is a Jewish person from a secular or non-Orthodox background, who chooses to adopt or return to an Orthodox, religiously observant lifestyle.
Historical shift:
In the Talmud, the term described a person who sinned, felt regret, and returned to following Jewish law. In modern times, it specifically describes someone "returning" to traditional Orthodox observance after growing up without it.