I think one of the biggest challenges for us Baalei Teshuva has to be how to take who I have been in my past, who I’ve been raised to be, who I’ve been taught to be, and transform that person into who my potential shomer mitzvot self can be.

But who is that person? I know that we can create only that which we can envision – but I don’t even know who she is! I don’t have the picture yet….We’ve grown up so long having one picture of ourselves and our reality, our present, who we are, who we can be; and now that we’ve gained the Torah perspective, seeing higher values, different role models to emulate, an altogether different future to work towards – the big question is how do we meld them, how do we integrate them – how can I morph this American 60’s humanity loving free spirited dancer into an Eved Hashem? Read more Finding Our True Selves ›

For me the biggest challenge of being a Baalei Teshuva is that of integration:

– The integration of our non-observant friends and relatives with our observant nuclear family.
– The integration of our past life style with our current one.
– The integration of a life with a major focus on livelihood with a life focused on Torah, Prayer and Acts of Kindness. Read more The Challenge of Integration ›