Beyond BT Passaic Shabbaton July 20-21. Please join us for a Shabbos of chizuk, shared experiences and friendship. Don’t miss this great event. Email us at beyondbt@gmail.com for reservations, hosting, volunteering or more information.

Torah.org articles on the 17th of Tammuz and the Three Weeks.

Aish articles on Tisha B’Av and the Three Weeks.

Rabbi Noson Weisz on Parshas Balak – The Power of a Curse.

We are about 4 weeks away from the Beyond BT Passaic Shabbaton on July 20-21, Shabbos Chazon (the Shabbos before Tisha B’Av). We hope that everybody who can, will join us. Please try to reserve early so that you are assured of a place. The rooms where the meals are held have about a 100 person seating capacity and we will not be able to exceed the limits

The pricing per person for the meals is as follows:

$35 – Adults
$25 – 13-17
$20 – 6-12
$10 – 2-5
$0 – 0-1

Friday night meals will be at the host houses and we will be having an Oneg Shabbos on Friday night. We’ll be having catered meals together for Shabbos Lunch and Shalosh Seudos.

We will find accomodations for anyone coming from out of town.

The meals will be held at Congregation Ahavas Israel -181 Van Houten Avenue, where we’ll also be davening.

For reservations or if you have any question, email us here at beyondbt@gmail.com.

If you’d like to study at a yeshiva or a seminary in Israel but you’re afraid you can’t afford it, we’ve got good news for you – there are loads of scholarships to help you pay for your studies.

If you’re an American or Canadian citizen between the ages of 21 – 30, here are just a few of the scholarships that you can apply for:

* $500 airfare scholarship from Jeff Seidel
* $3,000 – $4,500 tuition scholarship from MASA
* $500 – $2,500 tuition scholarship from your local Jewish Federation or Bureau of Jewish Education

A new Web site – StudyinIsrael.org – lists all of the different scholarships that you can apply for. It also lists the yeshivas and seminaries, FAQs about learning in Israel, and a robust list of resources to help you afford studying in Israel.

Just to give you an idea of what is possible, one of the students profiled on the Web site, Rebecca, raised almost $12,000 for 10 months of studies at a seminary! Another student profiled on the Web site, Daniel, raised $2,250 for 3 weeks of studies at a yeshiva!

So check out the scholarships on StudyinIsrael.org. We wish you much hatzlacha in your Torah learning in Eretz Israel!

Fire up your Outlook and add an entry on July 20-21 for the Beyond BT Shabbaton in Passaic. Passaic is one of the most BT-populated and BT-friendly communities in the world and it’s great to be holding this event there. But besides the great venue, this is an opportunity to deepen the connections we have made reading, writing, commenting and growing together at Beyond BT.

The pricing per person is as follows:

$35 – Adults
$25 – 13-17
$20 – 6-12
$10 – 2-5
$0 – 0-1

Friday night meals will be at the host houses and we will be having an Oneg Shabbos on Friday and catered meals together for Shabbos Lunch and Shalosh Seudos.

The meals will be held at Congregation Ahavas Israel -181 Van Houten Avenue, where we’ll also be davening.

For reservations or further information, please contact dimensch@verizon.net, sljban@verizon.net or email us here at beyondbt@gmail.com.

Although anybody can come to Passaic that Shabbos (or any Shabbos for the matter) we do have space limitations for the meals, so please contact us as soon as possible so you don’t get closed out.

The Beyond BT Melava Malka in Eretz Yisroel is scheduled for THIS MOETZAE SHABBOS,May 26th from 9:00-11:30 in Beit Shemesh at the home of Beyond BT contributor Menachem Lipkin.(I believe his daughter will be there as well, so you can ask all of the questions you want about their letters ;) ) For location details and directions, please e-mail msl at lipkinfamily-dot-com.

REMINDER

Preparations for the Passaic Shabbaton are in full swing. We are trying to get an idea of numbers so if you are planning on joining us on July 20-21, please e-mail us at beyondbt@gmail.com

Good Shabbos.

Well, the JIB Awards have wrapped up and we’re happy to say that Beyond Teshuva came in Second Place for Best Group Blog. We’d like to thank everyone who voted for us and extend our gratitude to all of you that contribute and comment here on a daily basis. This clearly is a group effort.

We also won the Best Jewish Music Post for Live on the Radio: The Seeds of Teshuva of a Nascent Rock Star. If you haven’t already checked out that post, it’s worthwhile.

The JIB Awards are underway and we made it to the Finals in four categories thanks to the Beyond BT community. Since Beyond BT is between 93% and 99% L’Sheim Shmayim (for the sake of heaven) there’s a possibility that if you vote for us and more people get involved with the community, you’ll get credit for a mitzvah.

Click here to vote for Best Group Blog

Click here to vote for Best Jewish Religious Blog

Click here to vote for Best Torah Blog

Click here to vote for Best Jewish Music Post

After (or before) you vote you can perform the mitzvah of Talmud Torah by learning the following Mishna from the second Perek in Pirkei Avos:

“Rabbi said, What is the proper path that one should choose for himself? Whatever is glorious / praiseworthy for himself, and honors him before others. Be careful with a minor mitzvah (commandment) like a severe one, for you do not know the reward for the mitzvos. Consider the loss incurred for performing a mitzvah compared to its reward, and the pleasure received for sinning compared to the punishment. Consider three things and you will not come to sin. Know what is above you – an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are written in a book.”

The Beit Shemesh Melava Malka is scheduled for May 26th at the home of Menachem Lipkin from 9:00 PM till 11:30 PM. We hope our readers, writers and commentators will join us there. Please e-mail us for the address. beyondbt@gmail.com

The Passaic Shabbaton is currently scheduled for July 21st due to the many camp comings and goings in June and early July. There looks like there will be a limit on the number of people we can accomodate, so if you think you’re coming it would make sense to let us know as soon as practical.

Please Email us at beyondbt@gmail.com with your expressions of intent or if you have any questions.

Most of you are aware that the Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards, the JIBs, are under way (after all, we’ve only reminded you twice a week or so).

The JIBs have really served to give Beyond Teshuva a bit broader exposure which means more people are coming to the blog, sharing and joining our community.

Although the results in the Best Blog categories have not yet been officially released, it appears as if Beyond Teshuva will be moving to the finals in all three of the categories in which it competed. Thanks for voting and please support us by voting for us in the finals beginning May 9, 2007.

We also have two posts that have been nominated in the Best Post categories which have already opened for voting.

Please take a minute to vote for
Sam Smith’s Financial Realitites in the Frum World here for Overall Best Post and
Live on the Radio: The Seeds of Teshuva of a Nascent Rock Star for Best Jewish Music Post here.

Voting closes for the Best Post categories on Sunday, May 6th at 10 p.m.

Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller will be speaking for Women in Kew Gardens Hills: Monday, April 30th

At 2:00 PM in a private home, email us for details
“Taking Tehillim to the Next Level”

At 8:30 PM at Congregation Ahavas Yisroel 147-02 73rd Avenue
“Finding Inspiration From Within”.

Shiurim Series in Kew Gardens Hills with Rabbi Dovid Schwartz: Great Books and their Authors

The Jewish People gave the world the Bible, the “Good Book” that has done more than any other to shape the course of human history. Since then Jewish civilization has produced authors of genius who have composed works that profoundly influence the way we think, feel and behave. This fascinating series will examine texts from some of the “Great Books” and reading between the lines, will familiarize the “People of the Book” with these influential “Books of the People”.

All classes Tuesdays 8 PM, Doors open at 7:45 At the Jewish Heritage Center – Queens Division 68-29 Main Street – Flushing

May 1st – Nachmanides: The Meaning of Holiness
May 8th – Bachya Ibn Paquda: Don’t Be an Ingrate
May 15th – Maimonides: The Messianic Era
May 29th — Luzzato: Why are We Here?
June 5th – Chaim of Volozhin: Unseen Worlds

Each shiur is free if you RSVP or $5 at the door
To RSVP please call 1-888-4JUDAISM (1-888-458-3247) or Or email Series@theJHC.org

Jib Awards: First round voting for the Jewish and Israeli Blog Awards (JIBs) is underway and closes Sunday night.

Go here to vote for Beyond BT in Best Jewish Religious Blog.

Go here to vote for Beyond BT in Best Group Blog.

Go here to vote for Beyond BT in Best Torah Blog.

We wrote a post earlier on why we think you should cast your ballot for Beyond BT. We’re sorry to be pandering for votes, but since we entered the awards we might as well try to make a good showing, and we do consider this a communal project and we’re all in this together, and this has turned into a run on sentence… Whatever. Just go and vote so we can stop bothering you.

Melava Malka in Eretz Yisroel: We’re trying to arrange a Beyond BT Melava Malke in Eretz Yisroel on May 26th in Beit Shemesh at the home of Menachem Lipkin as I’ll be in Eretz Yisroel that week. Please comment or email us (at beyondbt@gmail.com) if you think you would like to join us.

Shabbaton in Passaic: We’re working on a Shabbaton in Passaic on June 9th. Passaic is quite possibly the BT capital of the US and although we’re in the early stages, I have a feeling this will be a great event. If you’re interested in helping us organize it, or you can host some out-of-towners, or if you think you are going to attend, please email us (at beyondbt@gmail.com) or leave a comment.

Possible Monsey Get Together: I’m hoping to be spending the Shabbos of June 2nd with Rabbi Lam in Monsey, so maybe we can daven and shmooze (after davening of course) at Ohr Somayach or something. Let us know if you’re interested.

Ezzie has a Post asking why BTs choose to become observant.

Have a great shabbos, but vote first!

Please go vote for us in the JIB awards, because a vote for Beyond BT is a vote for …

Go here to vote for Beyond BT in Best Group Blog.

Go here to vote for Beyond BT in Best Jewish Religious Blog.

Go here to vote for Beyond BT in Best Torah Blog.

We’ll give you lots of reasons to vote for the Beyond BT community later this morning, but for now consider voting for us in the Naaseh V’Nishma tradition.

Updated: Ok, here are some reasons:

If you’re a BT, you should vote for Beyond BT because this is your community and if you are not for yourself, who will be for you.

If you’re a FFB, you should vote for Beyond BT because you’re thankful for the growth-oriented perspective that BTs add to your community. And you probably feel guilty that you haven’t given all you can to BTs (remember when you said no to that lunch guest) and this is a good first step in your Teshuva process.

If you’re not observant, you should vote for Beyond BT, because we share your common not-born-frum roots and can empathize with you’re perspective the best. Please forgive us for our first few years, when we might not have been the models of acceptance and understanding. But we’ve doing Teshuva for that.

Updated Again: In the comments, Bob Miller asks: “Beyond BT is a very good blog, but what are your grounds for believing it is the best?”

Here are some reasons:

1) We’re totally focused on supporting other Jews
2) We’ve had much real life chesed occuring as the result of this blog
3) We’ve succeeded to some degree in building a virtual Torah community
4) We have extremely diversified content due to the number of topics and posters
5) We have extremely dignified commenting
6) We have contributors that cross the whole frum spectrum
7) We have contributors from around the world including a significant presence in Israel
8) We have backing by some very prominent NY based Rabbanomim
9) We’ve had many offline events including Melava Malka’s and Shabbatons
10) We’ve actually refused money when it was waved in our direction

All these factors taken together objectively make us the best in our collective humble opinion.

The reality is we don’t need to be the best, we’re working on being happy with what we are (have), but unfortunately the JIB awards are structure around “the best”. Another reason to vote for us is that if we win, we’re *really* going to work on the sometimes negative trait of being competitive.

As most of you are aware, this past Motzei Shabbos was the Annual Beyond BT award ceremony. Below, you will find a roundup of some of the more prominent awards:

Most Sparkly Commenter – As if there was ever any doubt – Jaded Topaz

Acceptance Speech excerpt: “Wow, this award is fantastically fuchia with undertones and frilly flashes of fluorescent filament.” (Ron Coleman was said to have commented: “Huh?”) It should be noted that when JT removed her sunglasses she realized the award was a grey mouse pad.

Best Spammer – Tramadol, 500mg

Acceptance Speech: “I like your blog, I have bookmarked it, click here for cheap, prescription drugs.”

Best Former Lawyer that Plays Guitar and Own a Maple Syrup Farm – In a tightly contested category, Rabbi Shmuel Simenowitz barely edged out the competition

Most Disgusting Comment – Bob Miller for his Repulsive Chulent Recipe comments.

Acceptance Speech Excerpt: “Really, try it, it tastes much better than it sounds.” (Audible gagging filled the auditorium)

Most Prolific Use of Acronyms – Steve Brizel (that makes six years in a row or should I say TMSYIAR)

Short Acceptance Speech Excerpt (simultaneous translation was provided): IMHO, IIRC, I would like to say TY to my EK, BBT, RYBS, and, OC, to HKBH for giving man the intellect to invent the alphabet. (A heckler from the crowd was summarily removed for repeatedly yelling out “I’d like to buy a vowel” during Steve’s speech)

Celebrity presenters included Rabbi Shmulky Gebrokts of “The Shabbaton is Coming” fame, Chaim G. and Anonymous (who looks great in a tux)

Entertainment was provided by Rabbi Goldson who sang “Stuck in the Middle With You” backed by Rabbi Simenowitz and Gili Houpt on guitar and highlighted with a mean, sixteen minute long kazoo solo by David Linn (who was immediately wisked away for a saliva transfusion). Hope to see you all at the awards next year! Freilachen Purim!!

Inspiration Women’s Retreat

A Workout for the Mind and Soul

Fascinating Classes for the Intelligent Woman,
Beginner to Intermediate Level

February 18-19, 2007
Passaic, NJ
Price: $120
Limited number of spots available

For information or to Register call Dina at 973-458-0059 or Laurie at 973-773-1413 or
email dimensch – at – verizon.net

Last week we upgraded to a new version of our WordPress software. Our hosting provider Dreamhost has this great feature called one click installs which enabled us to do the upgrade by pressing a button and waiting about a minute. It worked like a charm, B’ezras Hashem.

One of the major advantage of the new software is its new spam filter Akismet. It seems to be working incrediblt, bli ayin hara, catching over 1300 spam comments in five days (and that included a slow national holiday ). At the same time, it is letting through most of the real comments. We are still looking through what it flags as spam, but we might stop that at some point. So if your comment ever disappears into cyberspace and it’s not in moderation, please email us so we can try to de-spam it.
Wordpress is among the best blogging software products on the market and it’s free. It is part of a software trend called Open Source Software. We are thankful to WordPress, Akismet and their founding developer Matt Mullenweg for providing us with these great tools to help build our Beyond BT community.

Thanks to Matt, WordPress and DreamHost.

As the blog has grown in popularity over the past six months or so, the comment spammers have taken notice. For those of you that are unaware, comments spammers flood blog comment sections in the hopes that you’ll click on their link and improve their Google page ranking.

In order to keep the overwhelming majority of this spam from actually hitting the blog for public consumption, we employ a fairly strong filtering mechanism. On a given day, we filter and delete literally hundreds of spam comments.

Unfortunately, the filter will catch many, many non-spam comments as well. When this happens, the comment will most likely be placed in a moderation queue and will be approved and posted within the hour (yes, we have no lives).

Recently we had certain words cause a comment or two to disappear into the vast infinity of hyperspace, never to be heard from again and some of you emailed us. We’ve removed those triggers, so the worst that will happen to your comment is that it will go into moderation.

We are investigating other means of addressing the spam problem. In the meantime, if your comment does not appear immediately, please be assured that we are not moderating comments and we have not “banned” you from commenting. In life, striking the balance between keeping out the “bad” while letting in the “good” is no simple task. The same goes for filtering out the spam while allowing your comments to be freely posted. Bear with us and, please, keep on commenting!

It was a very nice event. We had about 35 people mostly from Kew Gardens Hills, with Gil Student and Rabbi and Mrs Dovid Schwartz coming in from Brooklyn. Ezzie Goldish was there as well as Beyond BT contributors Steve Brizel, David Kirschner, Marty Fleisher and other Beyond BT readers and commentors whose anonymity we’ll respect.

The inspiration and entertainment was provided by Gedalia from Monsey who described his journey from a traditional Jewish upbringing through a period as a lyricist and musicial performer in clubs in Greenwich Village such as the Bottom Line. A trip to Poland and subsequently to Israel was the beginning of Gedalia’s awakening. He chose the path of immersion in Torah study and has been learning for approximately 10 years, currently in a Kollel in Monsey.

Gedalia interspersed his story with songs that he had chosen from the over 100 that he has written in his life. Gedalia explained that learning Torah now fills the place that songwriting previously occupied, but he enjoys very much performing and giving chizuk to his audiences. Toward the end of the show he answered questions from the audience. He pointed out that BTs and FFBs have the same obligation to learn and do mitzvos. The only difference being the starting point but every Jew, BTs and FFBs alike, have things that they have to work on.

The menu of pizza and ice cream sundaes seemed to satisfy and there was plenty of good conversation both before and after the show. Thanks to everybody who came out to celebrate Beyond BT’s one year anniversary.

As we inch closer to Beyond BT’s blogaversary and I reflect on the year past, one of the preeminent aspects that sticks out in my mind is the friendships we have been able to take from the virtual world to the real world. Having had the opportunity to meet with fellow bloggers over the past year has been an unbelievable experience. Some of you, I have had the pleasure of meeting in a larger social gathering or function, others I have had the joy of sharing in your simchas and still others I have had the pleasure of dining with (thanks for the sushi, Ezzie).

Of course, the greatest opportunity for personal meetings was afforded by the BeyondBT Shabbaton where so many of us were able to spend an entire Shabbos together. Perhaps the primary goal of Beyond Teshuva is to build community. For many of us, that is done (and IMHO done well) here on the blog if only for the fact that many of us are separarated by continents. For those of us within driving distance however, the Internet will never be a substitute for a personal meeting.

With that in mind, I extend a personal invitation to join us this Motzei Shabbos at BeyondBT’s Birthday Melava Malka. If you don’t want to come to meet me or if you’ve already met me and you’ve had your fill, come for the music –“Searching for Meaning – A BTs Spiritual Journey in Music and Monologue”, come for the pizza and ice cream and, most importantly, come to help us continue bringing Beyond Teshuva to the next level.

See you there?

The location is Congregation Ahavas Yisroel, 147-02 73rd Avenue in Kew Gardens Hills at 8:00 PM. The cost is $5 per person and we’re serving pizza and Ice Cream. Some people are afraid of coming to Queens and getting lost, but this address is really easy: just take the Grand Central or the Van Wyck to Jewel Avenue eastbound to Main Street. Make a right on Main Street going south. (or take the LIE to Main Street southbound). Once you’re on Main Street, make a left on 73rd Avenue (going east), and go one long block to CAY. That’s just one turn off of Main Street!

Please RSVP either in the comments or by email at beyondbt@gmail.com.

I’m not an established or frequent poster to Beyond BT (admin: ahem). But I’ve been reading the site since it started and a few things have struck me in recent months. In the top right hand corner, it says that: “Beyond Teshuva is focused on providing ideas, connection and support for Baalei Teshuva in their continuing quest of learning, growing, and giving.”

For the first few months, boy did the site live up to that promise! It was amazing to hear about other people’s family issues, difficulties finding a spiritual ‘home’ and efforts to get closer to Hashem.

Maybe it’s inevitable that the first blush of excited posting and sharing should evolve into something a bit less febrile and emotional. Something perhaps a bit more considered and ‘visionary’.

The question is, how do we get from ‘here’ to ‘there’? And it’s a hard one to answer, not least because it’s hard to ask difficult questions, and to really grow in pursuit of an answer.

Is Beyond BT a mechanism for validating our exciting lifestyle and choices, or is it a forum for really exploring why certain choices have been made – and dare I say it, even exploring the possibility that certain choices and assumptions are no longer correct or appropriate?

The former is certainly more comfortable. On a personal level, I found it extremely heartening to know that other people were having difficulties with family members; or struggling with what it really means to live a Torah lifestyle.

One of the earlier posts, from a parent whose children had become frum, was also the first time that I had really heard about how it impacted the ‘other side’ in the equation.

The shiur on how BTs should try to relate to their families – stop preaching, and come down from your high horse! – was also a lightening bolt. It made me realize that on many occasions, my attitude towards my in-laws had been less than helpful. I was so busy justifying my religiousness, I forgot to honestly question if I was really living up to the Torah ideals I claimed to represent.

That was a hard realization. But ultimately, a very useful one. It’s unlikely that my parents-in-law and we will ever be on the same page. But by sheer dint of being my husband’s parents, they still need to be respected. I certainly don’t agree with a lot of what they do and think.

But that post made me realize that agreeing with them – or getting them to agree with me – is not what the Torah wants. It wants me to treat them kindly, for me to swallow my pride (and all my defensiveness) and to make our time together as pleasant as I can by not responding to barbed comments or thoughtless remarks.

But you notice, this is not a validation of how I was already doing things – it was a headlong challenge to it.

It’s very difficult to continually challenge and question ourselves. With so many people seemingly willing to do just that for us, we can get sick of it. But challenging our own assumptions is the only way we continue to ‘grow’ both as Jews, and as people.

I would like to see more posts on Beyond BT that explore some of the really difficult questions – the ones that are lurking underneath the surface, but are rarely discussed out in the open.

There are many reasons for this, not least that it’s hard for posters to put themselves ‘out there’ when they know they may well be subjected to a whole bunch of criticism.

So, I would like Beyond BT to usher in a new era of considered debate, soul-searching – and soul-finding.

But this will only work if posters are able to express themselves truthfully. If we write about a lack in our own lives or observance, for example, that lack shouldn’t be seen as a general comment on a whole community. Beyond BT should not be about who is more ‘right’.

What I would like it to be is a place where we can challenge ourselves, and others, in a constructive way. Where we first ask how a difficult issue or challenge applies to us, before liberally applying it to everyone else. And where we aren’t afraid of going “beyond” what we know – or at least, thought we knew – about our religion, our personal observance and our own behavior. A place where we recognize that whatever our starting point or current position, there is always room for improvement.

Chayei Olam – A new organization recently formed in Monsey NY to serve the needs of married Baal Teshuva couples, would like to inform Beyond BT readers of programs now available. For men there is an incredible Sunday Morning Learning Program that includes Halacha, Chumash/Rashi, Gemoroh & Hashkofoh. It begins with Shachris at 7:45 & ends with Mincha at 12:20. Participants are invited to attend all or any of the limudim. The focus is on skill building and yedios. Our goal is to enable our participants to get the skills and knowledge to be able to enjoy learning and hopefully be able to learn with their children successfully as well. We presently have 15 – 20 participants all professional men with young families.

We also have a program for Women (a division of Neve Yerushalayim) that offers classes on Parenting, Sholom Bayis, and Practical Hilchos Shabbos.

For more information or to join any of our programs, please contact us at (845)425-3718 or email info@chayeiolam.com