For those of us who weren't born into religious households, it's a very emotional and often gut-wrenching process making the transition to a religious lifestyle and world-view. At the same time a lot of very funny situations can arise from the dichotomy involved in this process.
As a way of supporting each other through the process of becoming more Jewishly involved, I invite you to share some of your funnier moments in your baal teshuva experience!
There is a story about the Gerrer Rebbe, when a fellow came to visit him. The Rebbe asked him "where are you learning"?, and he said "in Ohr Sameach, however I am not a Baal Teshuva". The Rebbe said "Why not"?
I'll kick off with one of my experiences...
One of the first times I went to a religious family for a shabbos meal, at the end of the meal they brought out the mayim acharonim. They didn't have a special mayim acharonim set; they just served it in a teacup. Being the guest, they put it in front of me first. I had no idea what this all meant, and I was looking around for cues, but the parents were busy with the children and not catching my "what is this?" look... so I drank it.
No, the baal habayis didn't drink some more after me; I don't think he noticed. But I was very entertained to hear that famous story subsequently, and couldn't resist saying - "Hey! That was me!" :)
