Newly-Observant in the Community

Question

Dear Rabbi,

I’m considering becoming observant in Jewish lifestyle and practices, but something is on my mind. If I go ahead and follow Jewish Orthodoxy, will I be looked down upon as a “second class citizen” by others who were born observant?

Thanks.

0

Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    I can’t promise you what exact reaction you’ll get from every single Orthodox Jew, but I can tell you the attitude towards one who decides to become Torah observant.

    We are taught, “In a place where returnees to Torah observance stand, not even one who was always completely righteous can stand.” This means that someone who is newly observant is on a higher spiritual level than one who never sinned at all. This is because a newly observant person has succeeded in overcoming the inclination to transgress. This is a greater spiritual accomplishment than to remain righteous and never sin in the first place – likely due to the person’s inclination to sin being weak all along.

    One might view the higher spiritual level the newly observant in the following way. A person who eats on the day before Yom Kippur is seen as if he fasted for two days. Why? After a person eats on one day, it is often even harder for him to refrain from eating on the next. He has become accustomed to eating. Similarly, since one who repents has already eaten from “forbidden fruits” by transgressing, it makes refraining from sin that much harder. Therefore, when he returns to the way of God, he stands in a place where a person who never transgressed cannot reach.

    As one who has taught and interacted with ba’alei teshuva over the years, many times I have heard their identical reaction after their having eaten Shabbat meals with host families who have been life-long observant:
    “What a surprise! I am a ba’al teshuva (or in the process of becoming one) and I look up to someone who is an FFB (frum- from-birth) as my spiritual superior. However, my hosts told me that they love to invite ba’alei teshuva into their homes since it greatly inspires them to improve their spiritual growth when they see how a Jew has changed to become observant, often with a degree of self-sacrifice. They actually look up to me for inspiration!”

    Both groups are true and they all help one another to follow the ways of the Torah and share in much happiness and success.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team