Top Rabbi Slams "Baal Teshuva" Label as Divisive
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Prominent decisor of Jewish law Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch has denounced the term "baal teshuva," used for those returning to religious observance. He stated that the title creates an unacceptable division and stigma, asserting that such individuals are equal to all other Jews. Rabbi Sternbuch's remarks were made during a meeting with Rabbi Yaakov David Nakash in Jerusalem.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch criticized the term "baal teshuva" as creating artificial divisions among Jews.
- He stated that individuals returning to religious observance are equal to all other members of the community.
- Sternbuch called the use of the title "baal teshuva" audacious and presumptuous.
- The rabbi's comments were made during a meeting with Rabbi Yaakov David Nakash in Jerusalem.
- He argued the term perpetuates stigma and social division for religious returnees.
Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, a prominent decisor of Jewish law, has strongly criticized the common term "baal teshuva," used to describe individuals who return to religious observance later in life. During a meeting with Rabbi Yaakov David Nakash, the rabbi of the Keter Torah community in Mexico, at his home in Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood, the discussion turned to the phenomenon of religious returnees.
When the term "baal teshuva" was used by someone present, Rabbi Sternbuch intervened forcefully, stating that he does not recognize the title. He explained that the designation creates an artificial and unacceptable separation between Jews, implying that those who return to religious observance are somehow different from others. "I don't want to hear the word 'baal teshuva,' I have no such title, because the moment he returns to the Torah, he is exactly like us," he declared.
Rabbi Sternbuch argued that using this label perpetuates a stigma and social division for those born secular who choose a religious path. He asserted that referring to them as "baalei teshuva" is audacious and presumptuous, as if they are distant from the community, when in reality, they are fully part of it. He concluded that such terminology divides people and is detrimental to the community.
