Questions tagged [scope]
The scope tag has no usage guidance.
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Drop the p'sak halacha closure rule
It seems that certain individuals vote to close down questions on this site by claiming that the question is asking for a practical ruling (p'sak halacha).
There is also a message that says to consult ...
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Questions regarding figures associated with Judaism
I had a question a while back about two contemporary Jewish figures that got closed for being about Jews not Judaism (Did R Aaron Feldman and R Lichtenstein ever meet before the latter's death?)
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Comparing judaism with psychological theories
My question is if we can close questions asking for equivalences between Judaism and psychological theories as cognitive psychologies or other therapies, as questions asking about comparative ...
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Non-normative Jewish practices
Recently a user has asked a series of questions about the Beta Israel community and how they understand/practice their religion. From the questions it seems that this community has very significant ...
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MY's stance on questions concerning apocryphal texts?
What's Mi Yodeya's stance on questions concerning Jewish apocryphal texts? There's one that was asked earlier, and I saw that it was flagged by a number of people as "comparative religion", ...
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Site scope in Tour seems to disagree with scope defined in the Help Center
The site tour says it is on-topic to ask about:
general knowledge ... as it relates directly to Jewish life and learning
While the Help Center article on site scope says it is off-topic to ask
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Can I ask for explanation about a Masoretic note?
There is a Masoretic note in my Hebrew Bible (in the Masorah Parva/Qetana) that I don't understand. I think I know what it means, literally, but I don't see how it applies to the marked word. Can I ...
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Are Scholarly Answers About Judaism On-Topic?
I am trying to ascertain whether, or to what extent, scholarly (1) answers about Judaism (as opposed to faith-based answers written from a believer's perspective) are on-topic on this particular site.
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user18041
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Are questions about calculating the Metonic Calendar on-topic
This question - How many days are there in each year of the 304th Metonic cycle? - and similar Metonic ones are being asked by the same user.
Can one simply point him to the relevant literature (e.g. ...
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Petition: On closing or editing COVID-19-related questions as psak-seeking
For the purposes of this thread,
A "COVID-19-specific halachic question" (henceforth "C19 question") is one which, due to the limiting nature of the question, cannot be generalized to other diseases,...
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Can temple questions be posed as practical advice?
When asking about a law in the Torah which is not in active use do to our current pre-temple status, may one ask it as if it is happening.
Example
Q. My Bechor got mixed in with my Pesach, and I don’t ...
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Questions about seforim recommendations?
Figured I'd ask here before posting to main. I'm looking for an english translation of the mishna berura. Is that a question ("What's a good english translation...?") that's allowed on here? I know ...
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On-topic-ness of "how many X are in Y" questions
Forgive me if this was discussed before; I don't frequent meta.
I've been seeing a lot of questions of the form "how many X are in Y?". I personally find them to be pretty pointless questions that ...
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Can something be on topic merely because similar things are discussed in Rabbinic Literature?
https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/110699/jewish-eyes-anthropology (screenshot for those who can't see deleted posts) was recently closed as off-topic because it is not about Judaism per se. (...
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Should biographies of rabbis be in scope?
Following a discussion in chat, I want to propose that biographies of rabbis should be in scope for Mi Yodeya. This proposal is triggered by recent closures of questions asking for biographies of R ...
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Request clarification on forum policy on Judaism
My post on living a Jewish life in the USA was closed as not being Jewish enough: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/98951/seeking-jewish-version-of-the-mid-20th-century-green-book-travel-...
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Is fact-checking Judaism on-topic?
Suppose a Jewish text says something. Suppose this something relates to some factual reality. Suppose I wonder whether the something is actually true. Would it be on topic to ask about it on Mi Yodeya?...
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Can any question be made on-topic by adding "according to Judaism"? [duplicate]
Suppose a question is off-topic because it is not about Judaism; can it simply be made on topic by adding in a Jewish motivation, or by adding the words "according to Judaism"?
Consider this recent ...
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Answers that don't refer to Judaism or anything Jewish (but still address the question)
If a question can be answered without any reference to Judaism or anything Jewish, is that indicative that the question is not really on-topic?
Example: Good dimensions for a Shulchan (Reading Table)
...
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Is Hellenistic Judaism on-topic?
Consensus on meta seems to be that Karaite Judaism, questions asked from a Karaite perspective, and other non-Orthodox branches of Judaism are on-topic.
Is Hellenistic Judaism also on-topic?
Is such ...
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Questions about Tanach/Talmud personalities
As per the site rules, questions relating to Jewish individuals, when not exclusively related to Judaism, are off-topic.
I would assume this would extend to even discussing personalities in the ...
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Dealing with users who reject the answers of traditional Judaism
Recently we've had various questions and answers from the reletively new user Jdoe. The user in question rejects the traditional Jewish thought that the Torah Sheba'al Peh was received alongside the ...
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Should we have a close reason for immodest posts?
The current FAQ includes the line:
Please respect that in the Jewish tradition certain questions, especially certain questions relating to sexuality, are discussed only in private. Such questions ...
Double AAMod
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Is an anthropological question on Black Hebrew Israelites on topic?
I have a question on the topic of the Black Hebrew Israelite movement, which in a way seems to me to be more along the lines of an anthropological question, and I am wondering if that is included in ...
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Are questions about or based on academic Jewish studies appropriate for this site?
The catch-all of "Academic Jewish Studies" covers a wide range of topics. However as a general rule those studies do not necessarily subscribe to postulates which conform to normative orthodox Judaism....
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Are questions about Samaritanism on-topic?
Are questions about Samaritanism, especially questions about Samaritan teachings or practices that differ from Rabbinic Judaism, on-topic?
I was thinking about asking a question about why the ...
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type of question to ask on MY
I appreciate the forum to be able to ask questions. However, I want mine to be in sync with what the guidelines for the site are. Are questions on the weekly Parsha encouraged to be asked on the MY ...
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Should Q&A rules be lifted when a question implies that the asker is facing high Halachic or health stakes?
Sometimes we get questions that either indicate or suggest that the author is seeking advice regarding a matter of high Halachic or medical states, for example:
Determining whether a particular ...
Isaac MosesMod
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Questions about the meaning, source of Yiddish names
A user has recently asked two questions (1, 2) about Yiddish names that have been closed as off-topic, with the specific close reason "Questions about the Hebrew language or about history or news of ...
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Fiction as a mashal for a halachic question
Some time ago, I asked this question. As someone who consumes significant amounts of fictional material (namely reading on Shabbat and anime/film-TV/reading during the week) these questions pop up in ...
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Why doesn't Mi Yodeya allow you to post a question in a foreign language? [duplicate]
I can barely read and write English, I only know Gujarati, so could Mi Yodeya allow me to post a question in Gujarati
અગાઉથી આભાર
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Are questions regarding something impossible allowed? [duplicate]
Of course, it is impossible to create something ex nihilo. [Citation needed.] But, for a moment, let's pretend it's possible. Would there be a halachos issue with doing so on Shabbos? (I'm assuming ...
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Questions about Hebrew names
Are questions of the form "What is the origin of name X" considered on-topic, since many of those names originated from Tanach and Shas?
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Is Mi Yodeya a Judaism Stack Exchange, or a Rabbinic Judaism Stack Exchange?
Before I really began to understand the profound nature of Orthodoxy, I was thinking to leave the forum because I tend to approach Scripture from a different perspective than Orthodox Jews do. I do ...
user2411
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Are questions about the Hebrew language on-topic?
There's been a proposal on Area51 for a Hebrew Language SE for a while now, but as it isn't open yet, is it appropriate to ask a question about the Hebrew language here?
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Is Jewish culture really off-topic?
Earlier today I asked a question about the background and history of a well-known Jewish folksong (What is the source of the words of the Hebrew folksong "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem"?). The ...
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Answers based on the Samaritan Pentateuch
Are answers based on the Samaritan Pentateuch considered as being answers?
I don't think we'd allow answers based on the New T.
Case in point: This answer. Fascinating answer, but not based on ...
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What should I do about Hebrew Language questions?
Questions specifically about the Hebrew language are off topic on Mi Yodeya. So, where can I ask questions only related to the Hebrew Language?
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Closure of complex-scenario questions
The following is not my own opinion so much as it's my rendering into words the unworded guidelines that I think Mi Yodeya has been following for quite some time. It's posted without my moderator hat ...
msh210Mod
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General Knowledge Relating to Judaism: How Related [duplicate]
The help center states that questions about "general knowledge (science, etc.) as it relates directly to Judaism" are acceptable.
My question is: how direct.
I am asking particularly about questions ...
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Hiding Dangerous Information
Although obviously regardless of Mi Yodeya policy, each user needs to apply his / her own discretion, what is the policy regarding posting information, in a question or answer, that if publicized ...
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Why was this question closed and deleted when a similar one has 16 upvotes?
This question of mine was closed and deleted (I didn't know it was deleted until someone pointed it out to me, since I can't view deleted questions)
https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/51265/...
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Is it appropriate to ask what the signs near the tomb of Abraham have written upon them, and some of the history behind those signs?
I was recently reading up on Wikipedia regarding the Tomb of the Patriarchs, and was particularly interested in this picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Cenotaph_of_Abraham_-...
user9670
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Request for d'var Torah questions
I'm thinking about posting a series of questions (in the spirit of the mi-yodeya-series) of the form, "What are some good, short divrei Torah from Parashat X?" where X is replaced with each parasha.
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Is this a suitable platform for non-Jews to ask questions about Judaism?
I am not Jewish, but my curiosity was piqued about some aspects of Judaism after having political discussions elsewhere online with Orthodox Jews.
I am particularly interested by the way in which ...
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Is Sefer Yetsira (The Book of Formation) on-topic?
Sefer Yetsira (Book of Formation/Book of Creation) is attributed to Abraham the Patriarch.
The historical origin of the Sefer Yetzirah was placed by Reitzenstein (Poimandres, p. 291) in the 2nd ...
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Does Purim-Torah need to be otherwise on topic?
Nothing in the Purim Torah guidelines mentions that they need to be otherwise on topic. This could either be because it is obvious that it needs to be on topic, or because it doesn't actually need to ...
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Reviving the Jewish-Date series
The tag jewish-date-series has some serious scope issues, as it is about history of Jews as much as about Judaism.
I am considering reviving it in the form of "This date is significant in Judaism ...
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Are local service recommendations on topic?
Are questions that ask if such-and-such a thing exists in their locale ontopic?
Examples: Are there any safrut teachers in Boston? Who has a toiveling service in Los Angeles?
In the past, this ...
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Tweaking Mi Yodeya's scope to build a broader community
I was reading this post about one person's issues with Stack Overflow, and something it said struck me (as I noticed the same thing, but didn't attempt to articulate it):
The "flavour" of ...
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