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I put wrote relevant comment to this question. It was even upvoted. Now, both it, and DoubleAA's noticing a typo, are deleted. What happened?

I am not upset, I just want to understand the process.

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That was me. I was deleting my response to your comment and your response to my response for being 'too chatty', and decided to just remove yours as well since I didn't see how it helped the question and there were already a number of later comments added (though this appears to have been a short-lived phenomenon). I have deleted over 250 comments in the last month as part of my moderation duties.

I don't really see how a random 4 word phrase in Tanakh that doesn't start a book or even a chapter really helps the question, even if it does have the correct initial lettering. I can find over 20 more like that (eg.), but who cares?

(If people really want I can undelete it. I have no particularly strong feelings here and I certainly care about the community's input.)

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  • It's fine, however, maybe the <> mods' powers should be added to the list of privileges... I do think the verse is the earliest beginning with those initials (as opposed to Yom Hashishi), and it is certainly recognized as special: Some touch their tefillin when saying it.
    – Adám
    Jan 8, 2015 at 15:15
  • @NBZ he.wikisource.org/wiki/… is the first verse in Tanakh to start with such a sequence and he.wikisource.org/wiki/… is the first verse to contain such a sequence.
    – Double AA Mod
    Jan 8, 2015 at 20:24
  • Isn't Tehillim before Divrei Hayamim according to our Tanach, Talmud, Rambam, and Shulchan Aruch? Even if you go according to the old codices, Tehillim is still earlier chronologically speaking.
    – Adám
    Jan 8, 2015 at 21:52
  • @NBZ Does it really matter? You really think that Tehillim's preceding Divrei HaYamim in some order is what gives that verse extra significance?
    – Double AA Mod
    Jan 8, 2015 at 21:55
  • No. What does matter is that according to the SE doctrine, comments on Mi Yodeya may "Add relevant but minor or transient information to a post". I find that they often supply interesting tidbits of related material and that it would be a pity if such material is removed.
    – Adám
    Jan 8, 2015 at 22:12
  • @NBZ I agree. I didn't and don't feel your comment contributed much. But as I said in this answer I will undelete it if that's what the community thinks. These things are almost always gray-scale judgement calls and I am certainly not perfect.
    – Double AA Mod
    Jan 8, 2015 at 22:14
  • It doesn't matter, but isn't it true that "when they are deleted they're gone for good"?
    – Adám
    Jan 8, 2015 at 22:19
  • @NBZ Mods can undelete mod-deleted comments. It's not a feature that's meant to be used often because comments are second-class citizens around here so generally the burden of proof is on the one trying to undelete.
    – Double AA Mod
    Jan 8, 2015 at 22:21
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I don't know what the nature of your comment was or why it was deleted, but comments are, according to SE doctrine, "temporary 'Post-It' notes left on a question or answer" for the purpose of suggesting improvement to the post they're on. If the comment suggested an improvement, and that improvement was made, then the comment has no more reason to exist, so it's fair game and worthy hygiene to delete it.

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    See, that is the interesting thing. It didn't suggest anything, just brought something that was an answer to a potential very similar question. Who has the power to delete comments? I don't see it on the list of privileges.
    – Adám
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:15
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    @NBZ, I'm pretty sure that only a comment's author or a ♦ moderator can delete a comment.
    – Isaac Moses Mod
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:22
  • I.e. currently Double AA, Monica Cellio, and msh210. (For future readers of this.)
    – Adám
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:28
  • @NBZ ... or any of a number of Stack Exchange employees.
    – Isaac Moses Mod
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:30
  • Unlikely beyond reason.
    – Adám
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:31
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    Comments can be deleted by the owner, moderators, SE employees with diamonds (who do wander in occasionally, generally in response to flags or hot network questions), and -- in certain cases that I don't fully understand -- automatically due to enough flags being raised (which did not happen in this case, but for the sake of completeness...). I don't know why these particular comments were deleted; we'll have to wait for the deleter to answer.
    – Monica Cellio
    Jan 5, 2015 at 20:14
  • "If the comment suggested an improvement, and that improvement was made, then the comment has no more reason to exist, so it's fair game and worthy hygiene to delete it." Or if the comment didn't serve that purpose to begin with.
    – msh210 Mod
    Jan 5, 2015 at 23:26
  • @msh210 Wait, so comments that bring related things/questions/answers are "invalid" and should be deleted? I take it it wasn't you either. That leaves DoubleAA, who hasn't answered me yet.
    – Adám
    Jan 6, 2015 at 15:07
  • Never assume (or "take it"). I very often delete comments that don't serve the purpose of comments.
    – msh210 Mod
    Jan 6, 2015 at 18:31

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