Wikipedia's first sentence called it “yiddish word meaning committed to be observant of the 613 mitzvot”. Today it says “word that describes jewish religious devotion”.
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The opening as it read in 2015
Three man with customary head covering praying at the kotel , a frum Jew wearing an additional shtreimel in the middle Frum ( ; [frum | frim], related to German fromm ), meaning devout or pious , is a Yiddish describing word . To be frum means to be committed to the observance of Jewish religious law that often exceeds the bare requirements of Halakha, the collective body of Jewish religious laws .1 This not only includes the careful study of Torah , daily prayers, observing Shabbat and kashrut , and performing deeds of loving-kindness but also many more customs and khumrot . Khumrot are prohibitions or obligations in Jewish life that exceed the requirements of Halakha, some khumrot became customs in some communities over time, e.g. daily ritual immersion in a mikveh in Hasidic or kapparot in Haredi Judaism . Someone who is frum or devout is known as a frum Jew , a frummer (Yiddish "pious one", related to a German noun "ein Frommer") or frummie ( Yinglish diminutive "pious one").2These appellations are generally, but not only, applied to Hasidic and Orthodox Judaism , and used by some members of these groups as a self-reference .3Frum Breslov boys of Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, 2011 Frum kapparot ritual To follow a frum path in life implies the constant maintenance of an awareness of God by following spiritual practice as a makhmir , meaning "taking the stricter position on an issue". In this way, the Ashkenazi frum -culture is variously seen as a precaution against transgressing the Halakha or as a way of keeping those who have taken on the stringency separate from those who have not. In Ashkenazi Orthodox communities, the Yinglish initialism "FFB," meaning "Frum From Birth," is often used to refer to a person who was born into a religiously observant family and has maintained this lifestyle. In the Ashkenazi community the adjective frei (Yiddish and German "free") is used as an appellation by Jews with a secular background or by those that adhere to non-Orthodox denominations. A person who calls himself "frei" means one who is less religious and free from the observance of Halakha that exceeds the baseline requirement, or one who is not religiously observant and feels "frei" to do whatever one feels like doing.4
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 667058302.
The opening as it stood in 2010
Frum ( ; [frum | frim]), from the German fromm , meaning " devout " or " pious ", is a Yiddish word meaning committed to be observant of the 613 Mitzvot , or Jewish commandments, specifically of Orthodox Judaism . This appellative is used especially in reference to haredim (i.e. the "Ultra-Orthodox"), and to a lesser extent among the Modern Orthodox . 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 they feel like doing. The word "frum" can have other specific meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Often the terms frum and frei indicate one's social associations as much as his/her actual religious commitment. Someone who is extremely frum or devout is known as a frummer . " Frummer " can also have a negative connotation similar to "Hasid Shotah" (pious idiot), which is how the Talmud (Sotah 21B) describes a man who sees a woman drowning, however refuses to save her for he says, "it is not proper to look at her, and rescue her." A frummer in that sense is a person displaying a disproportionate emphasis on technical aspects of religion at the expense of worldly or practical concerns. A joking reference to this is found in the backronym " f iel r ishus v einig m itzvos " – "much wickedness and few mitzvos ." "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) . In orthodox communities, the acronym "FFB," meaning "Frum From Birth," is sometimes used to refer to a person who was born into a religiously-observant family and has maintained this lifestyle; it contrasts with "BT" which refers to a baal teshuva - a Jewish person from a secular background who has become religious later in life.
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The opening as it stood in 2020 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Yiddish word for a devout Jew Frum Breslov boys from Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, 2011 Frum ( ) is a word that describes Jewish religious devotion.The appellation is generally, but not only, applied to certain movements within Ashkenazic Orthodox Judaism , and used by some members of these groups as a self-reference .The term connotes the observance of Jewish religious law in a way that often exceeds its bare requirements. This not only includes the careful study of Torah , daily prayers, observing Shabbat and kashrut , and performing deeds of loving-kindness , but also many more customs and khumrot (prohibitions or obligations in Jewish life that exceed the requirements of Halakha). The term frum contrasts with frei (Yiddish and German for 'free'), which describes Jews who are secular or practice non-Orthodox observance, or "free from keeping the ... commandments." Josephone Livingstone (April 30, 2018).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 948288103.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Yiddish word for a devout Jew This article is about the term for Jewish piety. Frum Breslov boys from Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, 2011 Frum ( ) is a word that describes Jewish religious devotion. The term connotes the observance of Jewish religious law in a way that often exceeds its bare requirements. This not only includes the careful study of Torah , daily prayers, observing Shabbat and kashrut , and performing deeds of loving-kindness , but also many more customs and khumrot (prohibitions or obligations in Jewish life that exceed the requirements of Halakha).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1175754067.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Yiddish word for a devout Jew This article is about the term for Jewish piety. Frum Breslov boys from Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, 2011 Frum ( Yiddish : פֿרום , lit. ' religious', 'pious ' ) is a word that describes Jewish religious devotion. The term connotes the observance of Jewish religious law in a way that often exceeds its bare requirements. This not only includes the careful study of Torah , daily prayers, observing Shabbat , kashrut , and the rules of tzniut , and performing deeds of loving-kindness , but also many more customs and khumrot (prohibitions or obligations in Jewish life that exceed the requirements of Halakha). The term frum contrasts with frei ( Yiddish : פֿרײַ , romanized : fray , lit. ' free ' ), which describes Jews who do not practice Orthodox observance.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1297991545. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “yiddish word meaning committed to be observant of the 613 mitzvot”. Today it says “word that describes jewish religious devotion”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
yiddish word meaning committed to be observant of the 613 mitzvot
Now
word that describes jewish religious devotion
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.