How to Become Frum (orthodox) Without Giving Up Your Personality!-By Aharon Moshe Sanders, 10/22/10 2:25PM EST

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Because we live in a world where time is always in short supply, and conditions are constantly changing one needs to develop an approach to adopting the customs, laws, values and restrictions that are part and parcel of the orthodox lifestyle.

Hoshanah Rabbah at the Carlebach Shul

Choice of the neighborhood might be one of the, if not the singular most important decisions a starter in the orthodox world will have to make. Be careful what you ask for, and try to understand as much as possible before you just jump in head first.

As mentioned above choice is important because the other frum people in the neighborhood who you will be interacting with during weekday davening and shabbos activities, meals, lectures, and entertainement will be the people providing you with your first taste of Torah life!

While there is a tremendous degree of conformity within orthodoxy, there is also tremendous diversity within the shuls and the congregants who attend.

Somewhere before the 30 second mark (where I make my 1st cameo appearance (ala Alfred Hitchcock who seemed to like to put himself his own films for a second or two) in this video I offer Dinah the choice of the camera to get my Lulav back, I had noticed that she was also being a participant/movie producer (she had my still camera that also makes movies). Before the 1:40 second mark I wanted to increase the simcha so I tried putting down my camera to drum out some beats.

Yes, there is no doubt that while orthodoxy seems to favor conformity, at the same time it also allows individuals within a given parameter of choices to conform to Torah observance standards. I am not speaking about the new movements such as conservative or reform, no I am speaking of diversity within orthodoxy which explains why the orthodox neighborhoods have so many different shuls and ways that services are conducted.

The Carlebach Shul is one particularly unique Shul which show great diversity and is uniquely spiritual along with being orthodox.