Questions tagged [scope]

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-3 votes
1 answer
210 views

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 ...
7 votes
1 answer
183 views

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", ...
0 votes
1 answer
85 views

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 ...
23 votes
5 answers
1k views

Is there not room for non-orthodox opinions?

Should Mi.Yodeya/J.SE maintain its solely orthodox standing? I love StackExchange and when I found the Judaism group I thought that it would be interesting to participate. However, I am neither an ...
2 votes
0 answers
25 views

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 ...
3 votes
1 answer
59 views

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 ...
3 votes
2 answers
169 views

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. ...
2 votes
2 answers
111 views

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. (...
-1 votes
1 answer
81 views

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. ...
1 vote
3 answers
161 views

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,...
20 votes
1 answer
2k views

Can I consult Mi Yodeya as I would a rabbi?

Does Mi Yodeya offer personal guidance in response to practical questions about Jewish law or attitudes, as a rabbi would?
3 votes
1 answer
83 views

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 ...
4 votes
1 answer
52 views

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 ...
9 votes
2 answers
172 views

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 ...
1 vote
3 answers
247 views

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 ...
7 votes
3 answers
429 views

Can questions be asked that might challenge belief?

I was a bit surprised to find a question such as: "Are there any holes in the Kuzari argument for the transmission of Torah from Sinai?" because it seems to be asking for heresy. In actuality, it isn'...
11 votes
3 answers
302 views

Using Christian interpretations in answers

This question as inspired by the comments to my answer here. (See also my answer here.) Is is proper, in the context of this site, to use Christian or other non-Jewish sources (for example, secular ...
4 votes
1 answer
81 views

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-...
10 votes
3 answers
206 views

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?...
4 votes
1 answer
64 views

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 ...
0 votes
1 answer
48 views

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) ...
5 votes
1 answer
400 views

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 ...
10 votes
3 answers
293 views

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 ...
7 votes
1 answer
187 views

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 ...
7 votes
3 answers
706 views

non-orthodox opinions?

What are the mods final judment on the non-orthodox versus orthodox viewpoint question are we here to answer question which should likely be adressed to the JTS? (migrate to the original orthdoxy ...
19 votes
2 answers
543 views

Karaites - in scope?

Are questions about non-rabbinic forms of Judaism (Karaite, Sadducee, Essene, etc.) in scope here? I've added a tag (non-rabbinic-judaism) to at least group these questions. It would be great if ...
5 votes
3 answers
169 views

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 ...
6 votes
1 answer
79 views

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 ...
7 votes
1 answer
137 views

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 ...
10 votes
3 answers
182 views

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 ...
8 votes
2 answers
214 views

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 ...
2 votes
0 answers
76 views

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 ...
4 votes
0 answers
75 views

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....
5 votes
1 answer
85 views

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 ...
5 votes
3 answers
252 views

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 ...
1 vote
1 answer
111 views

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 ...
2 votes
1 answer
62 views

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 ...
8 votes
4 answers
252 views

Is a question that asks "What does Judaism think of x" possibly off-topic?

At the time of this posting, this question has 4 close votes. Several comments have leveled accusations of being off-topic as not about Jewish Life and Learning. However, the question asks "...
1 vote
0 answers
54 views

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
1 vote
0 answers
39 views

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 ...
12 votes
8 answers
965 views

The Parameters of "Jewish Life" Scope

Guess this touches a little on our old discussion of Hebrew Language Questions... Recently, someone asked for Exercises to prevent eyes tiring, which has brought up an interesting question, which I ...
2 votes
0 answers
54 views

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?
4 votes
2 answers
189 views

FAQ says History is off-topic and on-topic

The FAQ seems to be contradictory. It says that "If you have a question about...history of Jewish law or of Jewish life...then you've come to the right place." But it also says, "On the other hand, ...
6 votes
2 answers
403 views

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 ...
8 votes
4 answers
888 views

Riddle questions on SE?

After the migration from mi.yodeya to StackExchange, are riddle-type questions considered appropriate? According to the answer from @RebeccaChernoff to the question "Appropriateness of survey ...
1 vote
1 answer
40 views

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?
2 votes
2 answers
65 views

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 ...
3 votes
2 answers
173 views

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 ...
6 votes
1 answer
55 views

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?
23 votes
4 answers
1k views

How should we handle pluralistic posts?

During the Town Hall Chat Isaac Moses asked the following question: Consider a Question "I'm injured, so I can't walk to synagogue this Sabbath. What can I do to connect my prayers with those of ...