FRUM

''For the cargo cult-related figure, see John Frum.''
'''Frum''' (; [frum | frim]), from the German ''fromm'', meaning devout or pious, is a Yiddish word meaning committed to be observant of the mitzvot, or Jewish commandments, specifically of Orthodox Judaism. When someone is said to be ''frum'' it generally means that he/she is committed to observing three major mitzvot: Shabbat (the Sabbath), kashrut (the dietary laws), and niddah (the sexual laws).
The opposite of ''frum'' is ''frei'' (pronounced "fry") meaning someone who is "not religious" and "free" from the yoke of the mitzvot, or feels "free" to do whatever their heart desires.
This word has many more meanings depending in what context it is used.
Someone who is extremely ''frum'' or devout is known as a ''Frummer'' and it is used in a positive sense if he/she is ''frum'' unto them self but doesn't force it on others.
"''Frummer''" can also have a negative connotation similar to ''"Hasid Shotah"'' (pious idiot) which the Talmud gives for a man who sees a woman drowning but will not save her lest he touch her. A ''Frummer'' in that sense refers to someone who is more concerned with the technical aspects of religious achievement and displays outward signs of religiosity, but lacks a sense of ethics and/or respect for his fellow man; in other words someone who has their priorities mixed up with no sense of proportion. In this vein, the word "''frum''" is said to be an acronym for "'''f'iel 'r'ishus 'u'n veinig 'm'itzvos''" – "much wickedness
and few mitzvos."
Unlike the Yiddish word ''"ehrlich"'' (honest) which also means pious, and is always used in a positive sense; the word ''"frum"'' can be used in a negative sense for: "hypocritically pious", "holier-than-thou", "sanctimonious"; or in a positive sense for: "pious", "devout", "God-fearing" and "upright". A combination is sometimes used to describe someone as "''frum'' and ''ehrlich''" which captures all the positive attributes of these words and would roughly mean "upright" or "righteous" ''(tzadik)''.

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See also

See also

★ Chumra

★ Haredi Judaism

★ Hasidic Judaism

★ Orthodox Judaism