baal teshuvah

Meaning

• a person who became religiously observant later in life
• a person who returned to Jewish observance

Alternate spellings

ba'al teshuva, ba'al teshuvah, bal teshuva

Usage and context

Usually describes a Jew raised with less Orthodox observance who later adopted an observant life. It does not mean a convert to Judaism.

Example in Yeshivish

He became a baal teshuvah in college.

Plain-English example

He became religiously observant in college after a less-observant upbringing.