Idit Lichtenfeld with Amusing Mistakes of Baalei Teshuva. This Time: Creator of the Watermelon

A lovely woman wrote to me like this:

Hi, Idit, I really enjoy your writing on Hidabrut about Baalei Teshuva and children.

Like you, I am a Baalat Teshuva who found herself living and raising children in the heart of the "black hole" Bnei Brak.

Of course, I had many moments from my return to observance, but those that I really remember:

1. In my first prayer on Rosh Hashanah, when I already knew that "Aleinu Leshabeach" is at the end of the prayer, I started to pray the Amidah prayer and suddenly I saw "Aleinu Leshabeach" in the middle of the prayer... I thought there was a mistake in the siddur, closed it, and went to get another one. Again "Aleinu Leshabeach" in the middle... I started looking at the page numbers and said - it can't be there is a mistake in 2 siddurim... I guess I don't know enough yet... Since then, I remembered very well that on Rosh Hashanah we say "Aleinu Leshabeach" in the middle of the Amidah.

2. When I used to say the Shema on the bed, I always thought they were saying "And accustom me to speak" (in the sense of speaking) a commandment and not accustom me to speak a sin" (to speak words of sin), until I heard someone praying and realized the mistake.

3. Always at the end of the prayer, when they would say to the chazan "Chazak u'Baruch," I was 100% sure they were saying "Chazak u'Barur" (strong and clear), and I always wondered why they said it to him at the end of the prayer and not at the beginning, to remind him to pray in a strong and clear voice?

4. We listened with secular friends to the song "Amar Rabbi Akiva Ashreichem Yisrael." One of the friends was sure the singer was singing "Kol HaRevakim Kol HaRevakim" (instead of "Amar Rabbi Akiva Azar Rabbi Akiva..."). She asked me: Why is he singing about the singles? Aren't religious supposed to encourage marrying?

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And here are some more amusing stories I received -

When I returned to observance and learned about the blessings, I got really stressed and said to my husband: "How will I manage to remember so many blessings?!" I thought that each food had its completely separate blessing...

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When my sister heard that you need to bless every time you leave the "House of the Chair," she said: "No wonder the religious don’t work, they don’t have time because they pray all day...

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And now I turn to all readers with an urgent request: Please, save the column... send me mistakes you know or made. Many mistakes are repeated, so I do not write them over and over. I need your feedback and support for the continuation of the column.

The writer is a mother of six and a grandmother to one sweet Avital, an actress, playwright, and conducts workshops in acting and improvisation.

I would be happy to receive more stories about mistakes of Baalei Teshuva, to the email: debi@htv.co.il