Baal Teshuvah, The

Traditionally, a baal teshuvah was someone who left the good path and has now returned. But then, we are all constantly returning. Or, at least, we should be.

The harder your roots have to work to get to the water, the more intense will be the taste of your wine.

Its not how high you're up on the ladder that counts, it's the direction you're moving in--however gradual that may be.

In case you're feeling overwhelmed, here's a hand to hold and a little guidance.

Teshuvah, “repentance,” is as old as time itself. From the time of the creation of the world, when G‑d created the possibility of sin, G‑d also gave us the ability to repent, or, better translated, "to return" to our original state of being—G‑dly creation...

I am Jewish but was not really raised with any religious observance. Last year my sister went to Israel for a year abroad in college. The person who has returned is someone I don't even recognize. She calls herself a "baal tshuva"...If she is a religious ...

We have been happy together for the last two decades. Over the past few years I have taken an interest in a more traditional Jewish lifestyle. My husband, on the other hand, couldn’t be less interested...

Then this gal showed up on the hit TV show, The Big Bang Theory as a modest-dressing neurobiologist nerd. How she managed to convince the producers to let her character dress in a skirt that covers her knees is remarkable...

There was, though, one mitzvah that my grandpa cherished and upheld as far back as I can remember, and up until he became unable to stand: kiddush...