Hi Rabbi, Thank you for all you do, and I hope all is well. Someone just asked a question fairly similar to my situation, mid-twenties and looking for Baal Teshuva yeshiva. May G-d please make me capable to go soon, right now even. You answered him saying go to Israel, and the two programs that came to mind as the primary ones where Ohr Somayach and Aish. I have a few questions to follow up on this: 1) Do you know details on the style of their programs? So, for example, I had always suspected, with very little knowledge, that Aish might, G-d forbid, veer dangerously close to modern orthodox and not really provide me with authentic Judaism. I guess I was wrong to suspect that? 2) It also seems that Aish attracts people from wealthier communities who want less of a cultural shock, is this accurate? 3) I know someone who went to a different Baal Teshuva yeshiva in Israel. I looked into that one, whose name I cannot even remember, and it seemed very modern orthodox and maybe even kind of arrogant, but he managed to come back with a Shidduch. I don’t know how related to the program the Shidduch was. I don’t want to take away from the fact that my relationship with Hashem and Torah are reason enough for going and that I trust Hashem regarding Shidduch. With that acknowledged, it seems like the one or two years that I would be there would be the prime time to find a Shidduch that matches me most accurately, as I assume there are women going through their own version of such a program. Would either Aish or Ohr Somayach make this more likely to happen than the other? How does one find such information? 3) Are there any other yeshivas that you would add, and is it definitely Israeli programs preferred over American programs for Baal Teshuva yeshiva? Thank you very much, and wishing you well and great success.

Asked on October 7, 2020