Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Baal teshuvah
בעל תשובה
Baal teshuvah (one who returns)
One who returns to G‑d from a distance, whether from sin or from worldly separateness, as every soul does after its descent. Drawing “with greater force,” he stands where complete tzaddikim cannot.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5, ¶11The baal teshuvah draws “with greater force” through the level of “with all your me’od,” beyond what the soul can bear, which is revealed in him more than in tzaddikim, whose level is “with all your soul.” For the advantage of light comes from darkness: realizing what his sins have done, he cries out to G‑d from the depths, and uprooting his will from its opposite reaches above the soul’s measure.
ובחי׳ ובכל מדך הוא המתגלה בבע״ת יותר מבצדיקים שבצדיקים היא בחי׳ ובכל נפשך
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1, ¶25Baalei teshuvah reach the level of the “rock”: when a fire has gone out, fire is struck from flint. In the baal teshuvah the light has gone out, for he lacks the wick and wood of Torah and good deeds; through great bitterness in the point of the heart, which is above time and place, he reaches the rock, above the bringing into being of time and place.
כך הענין בבעל תשובה שנכבה אצלו מאור האש אוכלה לפי שאין להם בחי׳ הפתילה והעצים
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35, ¶3Tzaddikim and baalei teshuvah are two levels in Israel. Teshuvah is not only over sins but also for one who is separate and without fervor: a businessman who turns from worldly matters to study is said to return, and his stirring is greater than if he had not been occupied with them, a change of his very being, unlike the angels who always “stand” in one level.
כי הנה בע״ת אינו על עבירות דוקא כ״א גם על מי שהוא נפרד ואינו בבחי׳ התלהבות
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4, ¶20This is the purpose of the soul’s descent: before coming down it is a complete tzaddik, and after its descent into this world, needing to return, it becomes a baal teshuvah, who stands where a complete tzaddik cannot. The abundant mercy from far above is revealed in the baal teshuvah, aroused by mercy on the G‑dly spark.
גדלה מעלתה שנעשית בחינת בעל תשובה אחרי ירידתה לעולם הזה שצריכה לשוב
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5, ¶34The Zohar says that once one holds fast to the Tree of Life he is called baal teshuvah, for the Community of Israel (Malchus) is also called teshuvah. As the Mikdash Melech explains, holding fast to Zeir Anpin he is called the “husband” (ba’al), the one who bestows on the lower hei.
כיון שהוא אחוז בזעיר לכך נק׳ בחי׳ בעל היינו משפיע לבחי׳ ה׳ תתאה
Stated differently
Whether the baal teshuvah’s mark is ascent from below upward, as against the tzaddikim who draw down from above, or a drawing down from above
אבל הבעל תשובה ע״י התגברותו על הרע שבנפשו במסירת נפש היא בבחי׳ הסתלקות מלמטה למעלהComplete tzaddikim, through the joy of a mitzvah and their delight in G‑d, draw the supernal delight from above to below; the baal teshuvah, overpowering the evil in his soul with mesirus nefesh, is in the mode of withdrawal from below upward, like the gevuros and flames of fire (so too Shir HaShirim 35:3: the tzaddikim’s whole service is from above to below).
שהוא גורם המשכה עליונה בבחי׳ מל׳ והיינו המשכה מסוכ״ע בממכ״ע ע״י ועשה טובBecause the baal teshuvah holds the Tree of Life, Zeir Anpin, he is called the ba’al of teshuvah: he causes a drawing down from above into Malchus, from sovev kol almin into memalei kol almin, through “do good” (so too 5:41: teshuvah is from below upward, and it is called baal teshuvah when drawn from above to below).
דמשכין בחילא יתיר מהעלם אל הגילויComplete tzaddikim cannot stand where baalei teshuvah stand, because these draw with greater force from concealment into revelation: through the baal teshuvah, by subduing the sitra achra and turning darkness to light, there is drawn down from the source of all, most hidden of all hidden things.
Whether the Zohar’s “to bring tzaddikim to teshuvah” is done now, by every soul’s descent, or only after Mashiach comes, when complete tzaddikim attain the level of teshuvah
כי הנשמות בעודם למעלה היו כולם בבחי׳ צדיקים שבטבעם לעלות אל ה׳ כו׳ וירידתם בגופות הוא כדי להיות בע״תThis is the purpose of the soul’s descent, the Zohar’s “to bring tzaddikim to teshuvah”: above, all souls were tzaddikim, and they descend into bodies to become baalei teshuvah who draw “with greater force”; so must be the measure of every person, even one who has no sins (so too TO Beshalach 4:20).
אבל צדיקים שיזכו למעלת התשובה יהי׳ אחר ביאת המשיח דוקאThe love of the baal teshuvah, where complete tzaddikim cannot stand, is Mashiach’s quality, “to bring tzaddikim to teshuvah”: that the level of teshuvah be revealed in complete tzaddikim depends on Mashiach’s coming. Israel as a whole must return before he comes, but tzaddikim will attain the level of teshuvah only after he comes (Moshe attained it before his death).
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1, ¶25Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35, ¶2Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35, ¶3Likkutei Torah, Balak 5, ¶34Likkutei Torah, Balak 5, ¶35Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 15, ¶19Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4, ¶20
Where it appears
In 95 paragraphs of 69 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶2 ¶34 ¶35 ¶37 ¶39 ¶41
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 11 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 7 ¶11 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 3 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 16 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 35 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶5 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 2 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 4 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 12 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶6 ¶8 ¶15 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 42 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 5 ¶13 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 15 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 6 ¶4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶10 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 21 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 7 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 3 ¶30 ¶32
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 3 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶12 ¶20 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5 ¶13 ¶16 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 1 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 1 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 7 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 4 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 6 ¶7 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 8 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 1 ¶4 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 2 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶15 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 8 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 4 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 1 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 6 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1 ¶23 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 16 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 15 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 1 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 10 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 3 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 6 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶34
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶4 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 4 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 7 ¶9
Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.