Excellent questions. The examples you cite are from Christians who violate Ha•lâkh•âhꞋ at will, following their own eyes and their own heart. By contrast, we are guided by millennial-old, long-standing, Pәrush•imꞋ Orthodox standards of determining Ha•lâkh•âhꞋ – at a time in history when most of today's Orthodox rabbis are being dominated and swallowed up by the Ultra-Orthodox (popularly "khareid•imꞋ hypocrites – though there's nothing khareid•iꞋ , or QoꞋ dësh, about them).
We agree in this respect with some of the moderate Modern Orthodox, who have adopted a bat-mitzvah liturgy that is patterned after a standard Bar-Mitz•wâhꞋ liturgy except that it is confined to women-only and in the women's section of the Beit ha-kәnësꞋ ët. Of those qәhil•otꞋ , probably few could find a MorꞋ i Tei•mân•iꞋ to teach it. However, this is only for born Jewesses and recognized converts. Neither is appropriate for geir•imꞋ .
The correct Pәrush•iꞋ / Orthodox Ha•lâkh•âhꞋ for keeping Shab•âtꞋ is covered later in your studies, after you have first completed a solid foundation. The answer to all of your interim questions is to follow our Syllabus. It was designed to cover all of those bases – and many other bases that "newbies" like yourself aren't yet aware of. Stick with the syllabus and hold the other questions until you've completed our basic Khav•rutꞋ â.
Ma•as•rotꞋ and tәrum•otꞋ are no different than any other mitz•wotꞋ . You become responsible to begin practicing them as soon as you understand how to keep them.
With respect to tәrum•otꞋ (not ma•as•rotꞋ , which remains unchanged), there is a recent update: whereas we have been centralizing this money and funneling it through the local Tei•mân•iꞋ Beit ha-kәnësꞋ ët, we are now directing, instead, that each tal•midꞋ find a way to help the unfortunate in your own locality. I'm talking about things like buying blankets and packaged meals to distribute to the homeless, buying games for children in cancer wards and the like; to fund things that you personally can do on behalf of the Nәtzâr•imꞋ to help the most needful of those who are going through exceptionally tough times. I advise you not to give what these people need and deserve to, instead, "help" drug addicts or anyone with a criminal record. You would be naively robbing from the genuinely downtrodden to fund, instead, the drug trade and criminal activities. You must be extremely shrewd not to waste, much less fund drugs or crime with, tәrum•otꞋ . If you're not sure, don't put your tәrum•otꞋ into it.