Overlooking the Challenges of Marriage

By Bob Garber As someone constantly learning with Baalei Tshuva and potential BTs, my relationship always seems to end with the marriage of my students. Up until the wedding, I frequently see my students at Shabbatonim, visiting our home for Shabbos, or attending an interesting lecture or program. The wedding is usually an exciting, joyous [...]

Putting Hubby First

I didn’t grow up with a mother who gave me any kind of pre-marital chat about how to be a good wife. But I learned from watching her. In our household, she was fully dedicated to taking care of my father’s every need. I vividly remember their routine – he ran a business about a [...]

The Special Challenges of the Baal Teshuvah Marriage

The Orthodox Union has just released the findings of their Aleinu Marriage Satisfaction Survey conducted online from January 15-March 31, 2009. The full report can be read here and Ezzie has posted the video here. Amongst the various findings is a section entitled Challenges to Baalei Teshuva. It states: “The survey made clear that baalei [...]

Rabbi Lazer Brody on Shalom Bayis – Mp3

Rabbi Lazer Brody inspired approximately 200 people on Sunday with a shiur sponsored by Chazaq at the Beth Gavriel Community Center on Shalom Bayis. As you might know, Rabbi Brody has translated Rabbi Shalom Arush’s book on Shalom Bayis called The Garden of Peace, a marital guide for men only. If is highly acclaimed and [...]

What My Rabbi Told Me About Different Levels of Observance

(Disclaimer: This is what my Rabbi told me for my particular situation. It does not necessarily apply to others even in similar situations.) When my husband and I got married, neither of us was observant. Since I was the one who grew in Judaism and he wasn’t, I changed but should not expect him to [...]

BT Wife, Non-Observant Husband

When I sat down to write this – my first article for Beyond BT – I wanted to phrase it in the plural, as “we,” writing for other women as well as myself. But I don’t know any other women in my situation. Perhaps, as a result of this article, some will come forward. There [...]

The Niddah Difference

By Jewish Deaf Motorcycling Dad Since most of you probably aren’t familiar with Deaf culture, let me begin by explaining that the Deaf community is a very touchy (physically) community. I’ve heard various reasons for this. Part of it seems to be the loss of one sense, sound; so we make it up by using [...]

Divorce & BTs

In actuality, this article was started about twenty-five years ago. I was a bachur in Ohr Somayach, Yerushalayim, at the time. Despite struggles with the realities of becoming observant, I still wore a nice pair of rose-colored glasses about the world I was entering. Yes, there were challenges and even real problems, but it was [...]

Thoughts for Those With Non Observant Spouses

My marriage since becoming observant has been a very painful reality for me. Don’t get me wrong, I am married to a wonderful man. The painful part is that we don’t share a commitment to living a Torah life. In the Jewish community, people often talk about the “intermarriage problem.” But marrying a Jew isn’t [...]

Rabbi Brody on the BT Blues – The Uncooperative Spouse

Rabbi Brody posts the following question and answer from a reader and thought it would be of interest to the Beyond BT audience. Dear Rabbi Brody, I’ve been a Baal Tshuva for almost a year and a half now. Before I made Tshuva, my relations with my wife were shaky at best, and tense most [...]

Popular Posts

• Divorce & BTs
• Rabbi Brody on the BT Blues - The Uncooperative Spouse
• Putting Hubby First
• The Special Challenges of the Baal Teshuvah Marriage
• What My Rabbi Told Me About Different Levels of Observance
• Overlooking the Challenges of Marriage
• BT Wife, Non-Observant Husband
• Thoughts for Those With Non Observant Spouses