(A ba'el teshuvah is a Jew who adopts some form of traditional religious observance after having previously followed a secular lifestyle.)

     He's from America. He just moved to Israel. After reading the Shema he quickly began taking off the tefillin. I told him to first talk to Hashem in his heart. He kept taking off the tefillin and said that he was going to go daven mincha and he would do it then.

     I told him, "Hashem listens to your prayers better when you are wearing tefillin."

     He stopped taking off the tefillin, and then put them back on and he ran to the Kotel to talk to Hashem in his heart. He stood there for at least 10 minutes.

     When he came back, I said, "You are a ba'el teshuvah!"

     I meant that when he heard there was a better way to go, he turned from the way he was going and took the better way.

     He answered, "Yes," (that he is a bael teshuvah) then, surprisingly he added, "The Rebbe (Lubavitcher) made me a bael teshuvah when I was a little boy."

     I answered, "He did a good job."