Frum: The Word, The Lifestyle, The Legend

If you've made it to this website, it means you know what the words frum means. Either that or you're looking for Survival of the Frumpiest blog and didn't bother to click on the "did you mean" suggestion on Google. If that's your case, I suggest you go back a page and try again. This isn't a fashion (or anti-fashion) blog and it won't fix that dreadful paisley sack you call a sweater. The word is frum. F-R-U-M.

Some of you may live in one of the many hemispherical developments of Jewish living. The more rotund of the bunch go by the names of "Brooklyn," "Teaneck" and "Monsey," but these kinds of towns can be found all across the globe. However, to keep things simple, we will refer to these cities using the unifying term "The Bubble." For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a city requires to be a part of the Universal Bubble, here is a list of some of the most crucial criteria:

Criteria for The Bubble

• A kosher Dunkin Donuts/Baskins Robbins and/or Carvel.
• A kosher pizza shop-- more than one is preferable and should contain "Jerusalem" somewhere in the name.
• A kosher meat place, a kosher Chinese place and if you can fit in a kosher restaurant all about pasta-- even better.

FRUM FACT #1: We like food and we like it kosher.

• At least one Yeshiva day school and one Yeshiva Ketana/ Beis Yaakov,
• Five different synagogues of which one is run by the community rabbi, two are breakaways, one sfardi, one Chabad and the Carlebach minyan which used to be in the basement of the community rabbi's shul but is now in the basement of the guy with the biggest house.

Frum Fact #2: We like our centers of worship and education the way WE like it. End of story.

Yes, there are many details that make up what we percieve as frum, but if we get down to the nuts and bolts definition of what frum means, it's this:

frum

  [froom]

–adjective

Yiddish. religious; observant.

No mention of kosher McDona-be's, Jew Day at Hershey Park or going up to "the mountains" over the summer. When someone is referred to as a "frum" Jew, all the world knows and sees is a Jew who lives by and represents Torah. For those of us who are FFB's (Frum From Birth) or had frumkeit chosen for us, sometimes you gotta wonder- what's the big deal? Why do I try so hard to be this label? What does it even mean? Does it mean that I shuckl when I daven? Does it mean I have to wear a certain kind of yarmulke or skirt? Does it mean I have to like gefilte fish?

Really...what's the answer?

Well my friends, I have my own ideas of what it means to "be frum." Having been given the privilege of a Jewish education from the age of 3 and up, I've had my own journey looking for the definition. I've had my ups and down, wondering if I was a loony for wanting the answers so badly. Here I am, out of high school, and I can proudly say I survived teenage-hood with my religious pride and appreciation in tact. Being a teenager isn't easy and not everyone comes out of that stage in life proud of who they are. But my class and I are out to change that. You see, I believe there are (at least) two major factors that makes someone a genuinely frum person:

1) Asking questions and getting answers...then asking more questions and searching for more answers.

2) Taking the knowledge I've learned throughout my life and finding the point at which it meets the wisdom of Torah.

We all have answers within ourselves.

Me.

Every girl in my class.

Every person reading this.

We all have wisdom in some way or another, and it's a crying shame that most of us don't share it very often. That's what the goal of this blog is. The blog isn't about me ranting about my ideals on frumkeit. I want your ideas. I want your wisdom.

Here Are the Rules:

1) I write an intro to the current question (like I did above).

2) One very lucky student from my class gets her answer posted.

3) You send in your answers to frummail18@gmail.com

4) You might be one of the lucky chosen ones to be featured on the blog.

What Kind of Answer Are You Looking For?

What a good question! I'm so glad you asked. Your answer doesn't have to be super-ly solemn, I happen to like the bright side (cuz we all know how ugly the dark side can be. Think Darth Vader without his mask on). This is a place to ask questions, it is a place to get answers and a place to realize, that getting a final answer isn't the most important thing. It's the growth that counts; the strength we endow to ourselves and to others. So here is the first question-- what does being frum mean to you?

I'll post the answers in one week, so make sure your thinking caps are charged and get a-writin'!! All submissions should be e-mailed to frummail18@gmail.com

Can't wait to see feedback!!

Morah Eliana and the Students of Bnos Chaya