Op-Ed: Who Are You Calling B.T.?
We all look up to and are inspired by Shluchim that we know. We are amazed by their perseverance, dedication, and success. We know that even when we are too tired or lazy to walk three blocks to a farbrengen; our shluchim are out there encouraging others to participate, and inspiring Jews with their words and actions.
We look on in amazement as our peers go off to the far flung corners of the world, and the people around them start changing in drastic and positive ways. Acquaintances become “regulars” and your main contributor becomes the Gabbai. A few kinus’ and one rotating stage later, and our friends come back from their respective places of Shlichus with men, young and old, sporting beards, Yarmulkes, tzitzis and of course “The Black Hat.”
This group of followers is an affirmation of the power of the Shliach/Mishaleach, and they are the physical embodiment of his work and efforts. If there is anything we are more impressed by than the work of a Shliach, it’s the results he produces: Baalei Teshuva.
Lauded for their earnestness and enthusiasm, we welcome them into our homes and lives, and we draw strength from them as they do from us.
When we meet these Jews in their communities or on our own, we reiterate all of the statements of our holy sages and Rebbeim concerning the value and virtue of the Baal Teshuva. We stress through the stories we tell the importance of sincerity over all else. In fact, this is truly one of the biggest innovations of Chassidus, and was its most defining characteristic at the beginning of its revelation. The fact that someone’s feelings and commitment could compensate for a shortcoming in practical observance or ignorance is at the heart of Chassidus. Therefore, when we tell newcomers to observance stories or sayings which basically extol them; we are not buttering them up or practicing lip service, nor are we trying to convince them. No, we are fortunate to have been educated by our Holy Rebbeim to appreciate and value every Jew and every mitzvah that they do. We recognize that not only are our mitzvahs not superior to theirs, but in many cases they perform mitzvahs with far more fervor and sincerity than we do.
Which brings me back to the question at hand, since we are all so enthralled with the work of the shluchim, and so warm and welcoming to everyone they bring close; why do we also make fun of them?
As a Baal Teshuva I have always been very thankful that my parents sent me to conservative Hebrew School. It isn’t the conservative part I appreciate but the simple fact that I learned how to say a Ches. If you are from a religious upbringing you might not understand the significance of this accomplishment. However, as a self-conscious teenager wholly obsessed with fitting in and seeming “normal;” the ability to say a Ches was a gift from above.
Now stop and think for a minute. The last time you heard the adjective “baal Teshuva” applied to someone, was it used to describe a person who discovered Judaism later in life and made endless changes and sacrifices to follow the holy Torah? Or did it imply a slightly odd, somewhat neurotic, ignoramus, whom you suspect of having separate dairy and meat toothbrushes?
Yes I also find it funny, but then again I can say “Ches.”
These are the people our Rebbe sent us out into the world to find and help, and this movement of Teshuva is a clear foretaste of the final redemption, but we can’t seem to get past the ches.
To be fair, some of the mistakes we make as baalei teshuva can be humorous, but unfortunately we usually don’t get the humor and just feel laughed at. I can remember how one of my peers in yeshiva could not differentiate between the correct pronunciations of “and you are trustworthy to resurrect the dead” “Vene’eman ata leHachios HaMesim,” and what he kept saying is “LehaChayos Hamesim” – “you are trustworthy to the dead animals. This very person also gave up a high paying corporate position at Microsoft in order to attend yeshiva, so let’s see someone who can say the words correctly do that!
We are indeed a peculiar bunch of Chassidim. We possess an unbound love for our fellow Jews and infinite patience as they approach the kodesh; unless they have already made an outward attempt to conform, and then they are simply BTs. Why and how are we able to balance these two extreme views about the very same people? What does it say about us and our true understanding of Moshiach and redemption and their effect on the world?
Having spent the last 12 years of my life closely associated with Yeshiva Tiferes Menachem of Sea Gate, the first 5 as a student and the last 7 as a staff member in some capacity, I have heard every thing that can be said about us BTs. Obviously, being filled with Baalei Teshuva has made us an easy target for anyone with an axe to grind about grammar and pronunciation, but after more than a decade of hard work, and hundreds of students graduating and going on to build strong Jewish homes, I think it’s time we all own up to the greatest accomplishment in the history of the Jewish people. The young men that I have had the privilege to live, and learn, and work with are some of the finest most genuine people I have had the good fortune to know. What they lacked in a hundred-year-old Eastern European accent, they made up for with the insight and connection of a Jewish Neshama. I have seen people sacrifice careers and relationships and everything in between because they see the truth and beauty and holiness of Yiddishkeit. Not only are these people and the institutions dedicated to them nothing to laugh at, but they are the crowning glory of Lubavitch and a testament to the greatest Jewish leader of our generation.
Kol HaKavod to you!
Kol HaKavod to you..
I despise labels.
To me a Jew is a Jew. I could not care less what anyone’s background is, and it hurts me when a respectable individual still continues to describe him/herself as a “BT,” as in “this is the first time that I took a vacation since I became frum.” Why can’t one say that BH, they took a vacation without adding on the rest?
Is it an insecurity because one does not feel accepted?
I can fully understand that because although I am frum from birth, I am not Chabad from birth and yes I cannot say that I was fully accepted here as a full-fledged member of the community.
Perhaps it is getting older BH that has mellowed me. I no longer concern myself with acceptance, yet I feel tremendous pride for the values that my parents instilled in me, or to sum up in the words of my dear Bubby, whom I never had the privilege to know:
“One makes his/her own yichus.”
Rabbi Merenfeld you are a credit to the Rebbe,!
B.T.
I’m a B.T., and I haven’t found that people are making fun of ba’alei teshuva. I’d be curious to know what Rabbi Lipsker would say in response to this article. Did he read it?
12 years in yeshiva
And you still say lahachayos HA-meisim, there’s no HA in that word ( then you wonder)
YMSP
He doesn’t pay attention to details. He’s not perfect. He changed his life around at an age when details are hard to pay attention to. There’s reason to be melamed zechus on yidden.
Or…. try learning Spanish (or Russian or any foreign language you don’t know). In 12 years from now your speech would probably still be garbled.
I disagree
Not everyone makes fun of Baalei T’shuvahs, I don’t like your generalization, just because some maybe do.
Non Crown Heightser
This gives shluchim and non shluchim something to ponder but to the baalei teshuvah as well. If one adopts a radically different lifestyle one should recognize that fanaticism is unsavory. Both camps have work to do. The shluchim and crown heighters can be more tolerant and the baalei teshuvah can work on themselves to become momainstream. Giving up relationships and financial loss is admirable but does not justify a compromised appearance. I challenge the writer as well as he acts as a mashpia.
Gedaliah Goodman to non C.H.#5
Ponder, Challenge. People should ponder that which you wrote. Your opinion of “fanaticism is unsavory” is very unsavory. BT’s becoming mainstream would be a waste of their efforts in Talmud Torah, Mitzvot, etc.Wanting to be what WAS is called thinking and being in the past. Being mainstream now, in this time, is irresponsible and cowardly at best. You want to challenge HIM as he acts as a mashpia!! I do not know him but has a job and he is doing it. Call it what you will, teacher, administrator, mashpia, he is doing his job. I hope R. Merenfeld,along with the staff of the yeshiva, will make many Yidden that are proud and “fanatic” about their Yiddishkeit, and will help them to be proud of their individuality, helping those “main-streamer”s” to also be proud of their individuality.Hatzlacha Rabbah to the yeshiva.
Expecting "Citizen Berel"
I’m waiting for “Citizen Berel” to make his expected appearance and offer his thoughts, especially on a article as provocative as this one. So “Citizen Berel”, bring it on.
Shliach
Beautiful and true.
(:
Wow
Captain Obvious
You said it yourself. Sometimes they are hilarious.
Everyone needs to be made fun of a bit and put in their place. Otherwise their ego and meshugasen go unchecked.
And when it comes to pronunciation, how else do you expect them to learn? I once met a college student who was full time in Tiferes and said “Semah Sedduh” instead of “Tzemach Tzedek.” Clearly the hanhola there wasn’t giving him instruction.
YMSP
Explaining it to them rather than mocking them usually produces better results.
The derech of Lubavitch is chesed. The Rebbe writes many letters about how explaining to people in a way that everyone can say what a great derech Lubavitch has is our only way and the that we have a havtocha that this way produces results. The Rebbe also writes a loshon similar to the old expression az mken chapn mer mit honik vi mit esek (catch more with honey than with vinegar).
Torah in general says “divrei chachomim bnachas nishmoim” and unless someone is machti es horabim there’s often very little reason to go the other way.
Captain Obvious misses the obvious
Should I blame the hanhalah of every yeshivah YOU ever went to, every time YOU make a mistake, whether it’s in davening, or in your observance of halachah?
Or perhaps I should assume that “Captain Obvious” is so perfect himself? After all, no doubt the hanhalos of every yeshivah YOU ever went to spent so much individual time with you that they heard you speak every single Yiddish and Hebrew word and term in existence, and of course they all sat and worked with you to make certain you’d never, ever speak any of them incorrectly, so that no one would be able to blame them for your mistakes?
How many years did “Captain Obvious” spend in Yeshivah, as compared with the average BT? Does the average BT have 15+years to spend full-time, doing what you did in your Yeshivah education growing up frum? I am ashamed that you published your comment, which is truly a chillul Hashem.
PS: You and Hashem need to have a talk about your shaming a fellow Yid in this public forum. That’s a form of murder.
Kop Mentch
Human nature makes us “notice” anyone “different”. The Baal Hatanya was called “The Litvak” because he was “different” in geographic origin. Was that nice to do? Probably not, but blame human nature.
Talmudic scholars such as the likes of R’ Meir were called by “nicknames” that were actually derogatory. R’ Meir was called Acherim – “The Other Ones”, as a constant reminder that R’ Meir studied Torah from the infamous Acher.
(Acherim is combination of “Acher” and Mem for R’ Meir).
Remember that R’ Meir was from the greatest Tanoim – yet he was called “names” that were “uncomplimentary”. And who did the “name calling”? Not the low-life’s or the street people! It was name calling by other greats of the Talmud!
So for all you who are called BT’s, you are in good company, with such greats as The Litvak and Acherim.
YMSP
The names were complimentary and showed how much they were mevarer. To say that the Chevraiya Kaddisha or ChaZal were using these words like yoshvei kronos do is a profound misunderstanding.
It may be “human nature” to make fun of people. Some have a nature to steal, lie or even kill. Torah and “human decency” tell us not to.
Kop Mentch
Spin the facts any way you want. If “The Litvak” or “Acherim” was a compliment because it “showed how much they were mevarer”, then certainly the name “BT” shows on how much they were mevarer – and even took their shagogos and converted them to zochiyos.
But that is spinning facts away from reality.
For example: It would be derogatory to refer to a godol who went to university as “The University Graduate”! (As they referred to R’ Meir as the one who learned from Acher).
YMSP
You’re partially right in that I was wrong to agree that either case had anything to do with my point or yours:
1) “They” didn’t refer to Rabi Meir as “Acheirim,” Rebbi did out of respect for his father (who Rabi Meir tried to unseat).
2) “Der Litvak” was not an insult.
So I should have said that your examples have nothing to do with the topic.
However, it’s impossible to ascribe traits that the Torah forbids over and over again and traits which even yoshvei kronos know better than to the greatest of our Sages.
When Rabi Yochanan said “listoei blistusei kamina” he was referring to ReSh Lakish’s birur. ReSh Lakish himself, having heard about his previous robbery from the Nosi HaDor (or Dabar HaDor to use Talmudic language) didn’t take it that way. He became ill and passed away (causing Rabi Yochanan to do so as well soon after). The name used for him by all Sages then and by all students in all generations since (Ben Lakish / Bar Lakisha – robber) also was used to show his birur. To say otherwise ignores clear halacha and flies in the face of logic (that Torah which is a moreh derech would use his name in any other way).
Kop Mentch
So now you are saying that Rebbi acting like ” yoshvei kronos” when he called R’ Meir by a derogatory nickname of “Acherim”?! Are you sure you want to denigrate Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi?!
Kop Mentch
Wow…”it showed how much they were mevarer” and how much YOU were mevarer, to be able to categorize Rebbi as yoshvei kronos!
Kop Mentch
This comes from mocking BMG and our Roshei Yeshivas, ignoring psakim of Maran vRabbonon – noe Rabbeinu Hakodosh is your target!
YMSP
KM,
Not sure why you have to twist and turn people’s statements to some ridiculous/farcical level of nonsense. It doesn’t help your point. Anyone can read what was written above. And yes, this level of logic doesn’t reflect well on your stated Kollel. If you still don’t understand what the Tzemach Tzedek actually said on the other thread I’ll reexplain it there, no problem.
John
I think this speech pretty much summs it up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kaX-jOlmGI
In short he says that its jealousy of the enthusiasm which BT’s have that FFB’s lack which causes the hatred.
A BT CHULENT
the difference you can even see in their Chulent!
YMSP
Wouldn’t equate making fun with “hatred.” The poster who rights about human nature to make fun of differences has a point. It’s just wrong and harmful to use that as an excuse. But would doubt that any hatred is behind it.
Funny fact
What no one tells BTs, but it needs to be said, is that once you are out of yeshiva, no one cares. This is shocking for most BTs, as they tend to imagine rosy picture of Jewish community, and than the crash landing happens.
This is no ones fault, this idealistic tendency what makes Baal Teshuva in the first place.
So from BT to fellow (new) BTs:
1. Don’t assume anything either way about FFB people you cross path with. Respect, but ask questions. Don’t assume they know better.
2. You are not less then them in any way. But not more either. Respect should go both ways.
Happy BTing!!!
Alumni
As a BT and tifereres alumni, i can attest that the name calling does exist, but at the same time, we are partially responsible.
lemme explain, when we join a life of torah with no prior knowlege of what were diving into, we are under the impression, that everything passed is Treif, and if i want to do this right, i have to forget everything i learned. So table manners, dressing like a mentch, eating habits, tonation of speech…all thats gotto go, in and my objective is try and act like an ffb. Thats were we go wrong! we are normal and great human beings, lacking only in Torah. Our behaviour and social conduct (if according to Shulchan Aruch) should remain the same. theres no reason for a BT to feel pressure, to wear dirty clothing, or eat with his hands “because there is no world”. we need a good balance! Yes its important to forget your education, but stay a mentch. I think a BT who is sincere, ready and eager to learn, yet keeps his old habits in regards to social etiquette, even making his mistakes, he wont stand out.
i remember once hearing, that the master mashpi, rabbi fitzy lipskier, used to farbreing about this point. He once said the name tiferes is there to teach you, that you have to have a good balance. Dont be to tough on yourself, and practice old fashioned Bittul, when in reality you arent there yet. On the other hand, dont have to much chesed, dont let your guard down…..hence Tiferes, a healthy balance. A man with a healthy balance wont styand out due to his mispronunciations..
mainstream BT
From my own experiences, Seagate prepared me and helped me become more of a chosid, the constant guidance i received helped me polish my behavior and helped me in the pursuit of becoming a Tomim, Rabbi Lipskier spelled out everything that is expected from a Tomim and never tolerated any chitzoni shtick from any of the bochurim. Rabbi Paltiel guided us in such a way that I truly cannot understand how i was able to approach and even read and learn chasidus before his classes. All in all i would like to point out that the Seagate bochurim are usually the ones you would not call out as a Baalei Teshuva because the guidance they receive there helps them transform themselves into levelheaded internally oriented people.
big fan
Rabbi Lipskier, Rabbi Paltiel and Rabbi Greenberg, great mashpiim,
To "12 years in yeshiva"
Your comment shows that you think that as long as the weakness you are mocking is true, then you are justified in making fun of people. You are the one who should be ashamed! You are the ” non BT”, yet talk as a complete ignoramus of the basics of Torah and Chasidus. You can claim no credit for your non BT status, but you can claim blame for your expression of awful Midos!! Unless Midos is of no importance to you, and then you are really the one who needs to be felt sorry for!
funny
who cares!!
BH I have the incredible zchus to learn Torah and do mitzvos!
I cant believe that someone would laugh on another jew, unless he is not really frum
Citizen Berel
I find that BT are generally far more intelligent than FFB so there’s that. But FFB know more stuff sometimes.
Kop Mentch
That is a backhanded insult to BT’s. You are saying a hidden message based on the known assumption that mamzeirim and bnei nidah are smarter than others.
As far as FFB know more stuff sometimes, I dare you to tell that to Adin Steinsaltz.
John
to no. 20 please ask Rabbi Steinzalts his opinion and I can tell you, you will be surprised!
Citizen Berel
Mr. Kop Mentch, I award you the Citizen Berel special comment of the day award.
I should have known I couldn’t fool you with my hidden message based on the known assumption that mamzeirim and bnei nidah are smarter than others.
And I won’t dare tell Adin Steinsaltz that FFB sometimes know more stuff than BT.
(the parent comment was tongue in cheek, I couldn’t resist, sorry, really, some of my best friends are BT, err, I mean FFB)
Shoshanna Silcove
Who cares if they make fun of me? I don’t. Their opinion of me is not my business. I just have to do what I have to do regardless. It’s their, ignorance, their sinas chinam, not mine. I actually feel sorry for anyone who feels so inferior that they have to mock other Jews, especially their fellow Chassidim. And if they have this issue this article will not change anything.
no one speal
@#3: Do you have a different Brocha in your Shemona Esrey? Mine says Ha-maisim.
SmellTheCoffee
So they wake up from their Teshuva dream and realize they have been tricked to join a society in which they will always be segregated second class citizens. I respect the BTs who can overcome this or are strong enough in their emunah that they can overlook their position.
YMSP
Disagree…. Many recognize that if it weren’t for BTs today there might not be much Judaism left in the world.
whois a BT?
Who is a BT? this is the question
if you call a BT to someone who became religious 10 ,15 or 20 years ago
Probably he just was very excited at that time, and now he is trapped with the hat and beard and kids in Yeshivah
I don’t think that this “BT” is on a higher place that an FFB
If something is funny , its funny, sometimes is impossible to hold it, you are not laughing about the guy, rather about something funny, as if you heard a good joke
We have to be happy and proud about who we are, if you are an FFB a BT , Hashem placed you in that position
You might sound funny when you do funny behaviors, maybe Hashem makes you very smart, or intelligent, and blesses you with millions.
Be happy and don’t complain
Free country
Israelies are a different mentality from Americans. So ate frenchies or Russian. BTs are a different mentality from FFB. Gezsha are a different mentality from FFB’s not born Lubavitch. So that is how it is. And if the Gezsha think they are superior, you BTs are free to think you are. Or not. Get rid of the chip on your shoulder. And what’s the point of this article.
Anonymous
The point was for you to read it and then comment about it afterwards. Thank you for getting the point.
YMSP
If people would realize that in general there’s a lot of making fun of others, whether FFB, BT or anything else, that would put things in better perspective.
It’s always improper and sometimes very harmful, but it’s hardly relegated to any one group.
hum bug
well let’s see -there’s ‘BT’, there’s ‘FFB’, and there’s ‘BS’= ba’al shomer. Isn’t that the pintele yid?
YMSP
It’s a great op-ed but with regard to some of the comments, sorry to point out what should be painfully obvious:
Since we’re all in need of doing teshuva, whether or not we’re FFB, BT, PhD, an LLC or use any other set of initials which mean little and since we all try to lead frum lives, what is the real difference (since using these initials makes less real sense than saying that someone is or isn’t from a “shomer shabbos upbringing”)?
The answer is that there’s a difference in culture.
Now let’s ask a few more questions?
Are “BTs” made fun of more than Ungarishers?
Are “BTs” made fun of more than Poilishers?
Are “BTs” made fun of more than some even gezhe mashpiim?
So, if we go with some base “human nature,” (that isn’t nature for everyone), we’ll find that many people with different habits, customs and thoughts make fun of people with different habits, customs and thoughts from them.
Now let’s take this one step further.
Do any baalei esek/anshei maaseh make fun of bookish roshei yeshiva, mashpiim or yungelite?
Do some roshei yeshiva, mashpiim or yungelite who are lomdei Torah belittle even great baalei esek/anshei maaseh?
The answer is unfortunately yes. Yes, that’s why the Bais HaMikdosh was destroyed. Yes, that’s why we’re still in golus (see Kuntres Heichaltzu Ois 17 – from there it seems that it’s the only reason for this golus).
Doesn’t Torah teach that loimdei Torah should see how great Baalei Esek are? Doesn’t Chassidus teach that their work is closer to the emeser kavono Elyono when it’s their place to do it? By contrast, shouldn’t Baalei Esek be mechavev and value lomdei Torah and what they contribute? Wouldn’t we all be better off, happier and accomplish a whole lot more if we valued and, Heaven forbid??…., learned from each others maalos, valuing maalos that we ourselves don’t have and that the other does?
So too, wouldn’t we all be better off if those born or who grew up around Torah would recognize and see, first and foremost the passion, energy and dedication of the recent to mitzvos, traits which are far more valuable to Hashem than the same person’s possible lack of knowledge in certain areas. Can’t they be inspired by them to a point where that far outweighs the alternative? And shouldn’t those who are recent to mitzvos in full value and learn from the natural service of those born around Torah or recognize the value of having it in their blood? Can’t we learn and appreciate from both of those great benefits, especially if we don’t readily have one of those and need acquire the trait that we don’t? As Jews aren’t we more similar than different? Did the nazis, yemach shemom ask if a certain Jew was a BT, FFB, ADD, etc.?
But one question remains. If it is indeed sometimes base human nature to poke fun of those who are different, then why is there a lot of talk of those who poke fun at those who are newly observant of Torah but have different mannerisms?
We’d expect someone in China to ridicule our western ways. We’d expect someone in Africa to laugh at the “squeamishness” behind our refusal to eat snakes (assuming that the OU in their glorious genius found a way to get around the Torah prohibition of eating snakes and rats and that we listened to this sage advice just as some listen to their other newly minted hashkofos).
The answer to that is the same why we might become upset if a so-called rov paskens against halacha for political reasons. Because it’s shocking and uncalled for. In the eyes of someone new to the Torah world it could be that someone who grew up around Torah (and has many of the personal maalos that go with it) not learning a lesson that should be obvious to all of us, is as shocking as the example of the rov would be and is to us (yet they should still see if they in turn look down upon those who have less passion than them in the same vein).
Most importantly, there’s the idea that’s clear throughout halacha that someone new may not be able to take being poked fun at as someone who people are used to. But that said, I can personally attest to having several friends who happen to have been born into frum families who were completely or partially destroyed by bullying and being made fun of. That terrible affliction isn’t only visited upon the newly frum by any means.
As to those few who may actually hate BTs as some claim, would be people who need to become BTs the most, meaning that they need to do teshuva. (I have a friend who became properly shomer mitzvos in probably his 40s and wants to know why he has morals and values that others should have. He asks why he – to quote him exactly as much as I disagree with the quote – “a lowly Baal Teshuva,” knows more or acts more proper than them. I tell him two things. 1) Cut out the “lowly” nonsense and 2) Maybe it’s because he’s a Baal “Teshuva” and they’re Baalei “Avairo.”)
When someone starts up with any of us we need to ignore it (easy for me to say, I have a fast tongue, could care less what some bully or foolish person has to say and my biggest nisayon in this area is not to give them back a bigger helping, but it wasn’t always that way) and recognize it as a deficiency in the other person and also recognize that we all have our own deficiencies. When we see someone fragile being attacked we need to say something, bdarkei noam ubdarkei sholom, which is the derech of Chabad (and my biggest nisayon in this area is that I can only do it bdarkei noam if I really like the person who’s acting up, but have also seen that it’s only effective when done nicely).
meir rhodes -bat ayin
i live in an almost, FFB and BT, free velt. what a pleasure! no labels! for those in CH who feel out of place or displaced come to the hilltops. you’ll fit right in! we’re all settlers on this bus! the ticket to ride,courage!
making fun
is never ok..
i am ffb and have no idea why bts feel they are being viewed as second class- i definitely admire them.
that being said, when it comes to marriage most people would like to marry one who is most similar to them and their background- this is not a sign of ‘feeling better’ its simply what we do in marriage-find someone similar.
in fact i know bts that will only marry other bts- since they understand that similar bacground work better!
Mendel
Kol Hakavod. Thank you for writing this.
To#23
BTs are more intelligent? They get the brains from their not frum parents who ate treife or are even goyim. There is also those who want to marry a person whose mother went to mikvah and parents kept taharas hamisocha
Are you a troll?
I feel so sorry for your and your ugly attitude. You’ve broken so many mitzvos with your words, I don’t even know where to start.
You’re someone an FFB who needs to do some teshuvah!
I dare say you don’t deserve what you seem to think you deserve, with that attitude.
PS: Taharas hamishpachah is retroactive. (look it up!)
IM NOT A BT
I grew up in a modern orthodox home. I was educated in a Hebrew day school and later by Chabad at the request of my parents who wanted to give me and my siblings a private in home Jewish Education because they were dissatisfied with the education in the Hebrew Day school. I have always lived in a kosher home where although shabes was not always kept, it was always respected and I was never allowed to go out on shabes or miss the meals. When I got older I decided to be more religious and become Chabad. To this day no matter how hard I try the shluchim and community put me in a box and I have often felt put down because they consider me a BT. I have tried all my might to say you don’t need to show me everything and I’m sorry but I’m not stupid and please stop talking down to me because you think i don’t know how to say a bracha. There is a definite stigma!
to #42
Apparently you do not yet understand the power of teshuvah. You should learn Tanya someday.
Why marry men who still carry the genetic material of those who made the chait haegel?
Even the frierdiker Rebbe had an intersting grandson.
To # 44
What about ” a kosher kind”
Rabbi L
I have been in 2 dozen yeshivos over my lifetime as a student, teacher, Shliach, and speaker and while i have used the term Baal Teshuva thousands of times I have never heard it used offensively. I may just be a Shliach who grew up sheltered from crown heights but the idea to make fun of someone because they were not born Jewish, Frum, or Different in any way is completely foreign to me
Kop Mentch
You have been in “2 dozen yeshivos” wow, what did you do every few weeks to require that you relocate to another yeshiva????