V'dibarta Bam

12:11 AM

1

Q: Hebrew in comments and sidebars is too small to read

The current font used on site (Georgia) renders Hebrew letters smaller than their English counterparts (ooh, fancy word there). In posts, this causes no problems, as 15px is plenty large enough to read clearly. However in comments and in sidebars (13 and 12 px, respectively) it becomes hard to di...

Double AA

2:37 AM

I just noticed that the green box that symbolizes accepted answer on the homepage is actually patterned like the background. Nice work Jin!

HodofHod

3:40 AM

@msh210 you here?

Shmuel Brin

3:51 AM

@HodofHod collive.com/…

HodofHod

@ShmuelBrin Ah yes, I thought it was an interesting that they were driving a convertible when it had only just finished raining.... They passed me on the street

@IsaacMoses You around?

@ShmuelBrin Interesting, I didn't go to any of those events, so the pictures are the first I'm seeing them.

I see they got the same acrobats as last year. Excellent show.

Isaac Moses

4:08 AM

@HodofHod Hello?

HodofHod

@IsaacMoses Hi!

Is it intentional that many of the traditional answers to mi yodeya were left out? I.e. were we going only for the novel?

Isaac Moses

@HodofHod Everything's in the public record, except what was going through the answerers' heads.

HodofHod

@IsaacMoses I don't know, I feel like going back and adding all the ones that everyone knows but nobody did. Kind of like:

Isaac Moses

... but I think novel is more interesting and probably have skewed my acceptances accordingly,

HodofHod

2

A: Arba'a - mi yodeya?

I know we all like to provide out-of-the-box answers, but I'm disappointed that I have to be the one to give this answer, and nearly two years after the question was asked - 4 Imahoth (Matriarchs).

Isaac Moses

4:13 AM

@HodofHod As you like. I'm sure judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/507/shiva-mi-yodeya could get a whole bunch more answers if someone wanted to write them up

HodofHod

@IsaacMoses Indeed

Isaac Moses

Have you seen the Recent Badges? Looks like someone went on a pro-mod voting spree

HodofHod

I'm particularly perplexed by absence of "One is Hashem". Shameful

3

@IsaacMoses Yay!!

I believe that is the proper response

Isaac Moses

@HodofHod Not "<grumble> <grumble> don't care about points <grumble> <shake stick>"?

2

HodofHod

@IsaacMoses Points, no, but badges? Of course!!

;)

msh210

4:46 AM

@IsaacMoses @HodofHod Yeah. When I was a kid, Pirchei Agudath Israel of America had a contest wherefor whoever sent in the most Jewish sevens would win. I don't remember how many the winner had found, but IIRC it was in the hundreds.

Isaac Moses

@msh210 My third grade rebbe did the same thing for our class

Shmuel Brin

6:07 AM

Why is it that some people have no user info, yet others (who were unregistered from M.Y 1.0 and haven't appeared since) do?

Also, where is ben masada when you need him :)

5

Q: Sadducees and Karaites - same beliefs?

Did the Karaites and the Sadducees believe in the same "Judaism"?

history heterodox sadducees

HodofHod

2:14 PM

@IsaacMoses I'm guilty on that last one. Sorry! If you don't want badges, don't give good answers. It's your own fault you know. ;)

Adam Mosheh

5:02 PM

@ShmuelBrin Who is ben masada? (I'm assuming that he knows about Josephus and Sadducee things like the question I asked...)

HodofHod

Ben Masada was a user way back in the first gilgul of this site (before my time). As far as I can tell from what remains of his posts, many of his opinions didn't really fit with _any_ tradition of Judaism (at least not any I'm familiar with), except perhaps a Karaite one.

He quoted Rabbinic sources when they suited him, and other times he refused to accept anything that was "extra-biblical". His inability to accept valid and respected Rabbinic opinions that he didn't like led him into arguing with pretty much everyone on the site, and he was eventually asked to leave.

Shmuel Brin

5:56 PM

@AdamMosheh You'll need another 9000 points to see him :)

Adam Mosheh

6:18 PM

@ShmuelBrin Why?

HodofHod

@ShmuelBrin Not necessarily:

1

Q: On the giving of tzedaka

Who is to get the reward on the giving of Tzedaka, the giver or the receiver? And please, does it depend on the mood of the giver for some spiritual benefit to be granted?

tzedakah-charity

Adam Mosheh

@HodofHod - Did he ask any other questions or make any answers?

HodofHod

@AdamMosheh Many. Most of them have been deleted and are only visible to 10k-ers and Mods.

Adam Mosheh

@HodofHod - How is it that they are invisible?

HodofHod

@AdamMosheh When a post is deleted, it becomes invisible to most users. Only people with 10,000 reputation can see deleted questions and answers.

Adam Mosheh

6:27 PM

@HodofHod What are good ways to increase one's reputation?

HodofHod

@AdamMosheh Ask good questions, give good answers :D Like you're doing now.

Stack Exchange

6:47 PM

1

Q: Why can't we comment on specific edits?

Why can't we comment on specific edits that are made on different questions or answers?

feature-request

HodofHod

7:19 PM

Hey @TRiG, how are you?

TRiG

@HodofHod Grand.

Wondering why this chat room has such a boring name.

HodofHod

@TRiG We are too!!

5

Q: Final Vote to name Mi Yodeya's chat room

We've had a number of good suggestions for our chat room's name, and the upvotes and downvotes on each showed that there are five favorites (answers with net vote count greater than one standard deviation above the mean as of this writing, if you care). Here, you're being asked to vote among thos...

discussion featured chat site-name

TRiG

Chrisitanity's still in beta, but they've got a name up:

7

Q: We need a name for our chat room

So we have a chat room. Other sites have cool names for their chat rooms. Isn't it time we named ours? Please add your suggestions below: one suggestion per answer. Then the mods can make a decision based on the votes. If you don't want to name the chat room, please vote this question down. And...

discussion chat

@HodofHod Ah. Right.

I'm not around here much, and hadn't noticed that.

Really, I was just here to gawk at your rather wonderful new design.

HodofHod

@TRiG Yeah, @Jin really outdid himself here :)

TRiG

@HodofHod Also, Have you seen this?

> Conclusion of that article sums it up until recently, most Rabbis agreed that of a sheep's horn, and until the amount of pomegranate filling he was viewed as inferior. In addition, the Gemara tells us (Sotah 47a) that the four lepers (discussed in a specific direction at all if they were opened for him (Iggres Moshe: O"C Chelek Daled Siman Kuf Yud Tes Ois Heh) and does not know when is the time when he presents his accusations.

> This usage is different than those who hold that smoking is assur. As I wrote to a similar question: As the Creator of all things, including, but not limited to, time, and the effects that Chassidus hoped to have (and had), as well as why special tape and stamps are used to ship processed meat. Also, I have in the past worked as a mashgiach in a black man who was married to.

quickmediasolutions.com/flack/…

HodofHod

7:26 PM

@TRiG I think I had seen that previously for SO, but never for ours. That's hilarious!!

TRiG

@HodofHod My favourite line was one of mine from EL&U:

> As Tim Minchin informs us, birth control is not an Americanism, though I did know it tasted like horse piss.

And then there's also this little gem:

in The Upper Room, yesterday, by El'endia Starman

> God is sent to Hell will burn forever.

HodofHod

Ouch!

I can't stop generating more and more of these!

Best one so far:

> "You can convert ten times over and you will crack.
But if I fill them together and created the world with that (you can't;"

TRiG

@HodofHod My problem on this site is that the jargon is so dense I barely have any idea what's going on.

HodofHod

7:41 PM

@TRiG In general, or on Flack Overstow?

TRiG

@HodofHod In general. I like to lurk here sometimes, but it can be difficult.

I spend more time on SO, EL&U, and Christianity.

Where I have a hope of understanding what's going on.

I've also occasionally glanced at Biblical Hermenutics, but it's very technical.

HodofHod

@TRiG I hear you. We sometimes make an effort to dejargonify, but translating and explaining everything can be unwieldy and impractical. You can always consult our attempt at a glossary:

8

Q: Jewish Life & Learning Glossary

A glossary! This is for Judaism-related terms that come up on the main site whose meanings people may well not know. To search this glossary for (e.g.) משנה, type inquestion:this משנה in the search box at the top-right corner of this page and hit Enter. Note, though, that that effort may be sty...

support faq language glossary

And as always, if you pop in here to chat, I'm sure someone would be happy to explain anything you're not familiar with.

TRiG

@HodofHod Jargon has its place. A specialised vocabulary can aid communication. It can just be difficult for outsiders.

HodofHod

@TRiG True, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing

TRiG

I'm curious about religion generally, and wanted to get a hang on what Judaism was like. (I'm more interested in the culture, and in the "approach" to religion than the actual theology.) But I'm not sure whether this site is the best way for me to do that.

This site is very technical, very much about only theologically conservative strands of Judaism, and very much about the minutiae rather than the generalities. And none of that particularly interests me, as an ex-Witness atheist with an interest in the sociology of religion.

HodofHod

7:49 PM

@TRiG "Best"? Who knows?

@TRiG Yes it is, but from the specific, you can learn the general :)

Based on what you've said, have you tried hanging around the theology tag?

TRiG

@HodofHod And the first thing I see is some ahistorical nonsense.

9

A: Is it true that there was a time when Jews believed in the existence of several Gods instead of just One?

Throughout the Bible, many Jews keep veering into idolatry, such as the examples seen in Yaakov's answer. (Fascinatingly the whole idolatry thing comes to a screeching halt right around the Jews' return from Babylon to Israel around 2500 years ago. The Talmud says there was some "itch" that idol-...

HodofHod

Which part?

TRiG

@HodofHod The idea that Judaism was monotheistic from the start. Ideas grow, change, and are borrowed. And most experts agree that the early Hebrews were monoloatrous.

HodofHod

@TRiG "Ideas grow, change, and are borrowed." ..and that doesn't preclude Judaism from always having been monotheistic. Note that although the question says "Jews" it appears to be asking about "Judaism". Experts say many things. Not all of them are correct.

I'm not going to argue about it now, though

TRiG

8:04 PM

@HodofHod Here. My three favourite answers on a religious site. Should give you some idea of my interests.

3

A: Is paganism compatible with Christianity?

It depends which angle you're looking at it from. Is Paganism compatible with Christianity? is, to be frank, a hopelessly vague question. Paganism is a very broad category. Most Pagans would accept Jesus as a deity. A few might include him in the their personal Pantheon. Most wouldn't. It is cer...

10

A: What is the source of hatred often perceived by Christians in western society?

People don't really hate Christians any more than they hate any other group. In much of the world, Christians have a place of privilege, embedded in society to such an extent that it's assumed that everyone you meet is a Christian, and Christian holidays and norms are part of the social calendar....

2

A: Is it possible to be Christian but not interpret the religion as fact?

There are two answers to this question. One is the general type of "Cultural Christianity" to which other answers alude. A person can be non-religious, but still operate in a largely Christian context, clebrating some Christian-flavoured festivals (notably Christmas), and thinking of "God" in a C...

Double AA

8:44 PM

Can anyone guess who this jumble is from: When I read R' Hirsch, everything fits together so well, and I'm in all this (as if the name that the congregation is waiting idly during this process, unless you notice that the Torah reader needs a handshake as well. Same goes for one, and put it on. Most synagogues have a supply of congregation-owned ones available. If you were given that gentiles were invited to bring it up, I'm seriously considering implementing some sort of flagging mechanism like modern Hebrew words and grammar, spoken with an Arabic or Yemenite accent. If

Here's a good one: If it was eaten beshogeg (accidentally) then one can read the megillah before the total amount of wall is greater than or equal to a kezayit.

msh210

9:15 PM

@DoubleAA I recognize "Most synagogues have a supply of congregation-owned ones available." as being from either Isaac's hagbahas haTora answer or my own p'sichas haaron one, but I'm not sure which; then, the mention of RSRH and "some sort of flagging mechanism" and makes me think it's Isaac's, and "spoken with an Arabic or Yemenite accent" makes me think it's not me.

Wow, asked a question on math.se and quickly got 3 downvotes (with 0 upvotes) and 2 closure votes as "not constructive".

Double AA

@msh210 Bingo! Isaac it is. I thought R Hirsch would be a dead giveaway.

msh210

@DoubleAA Others have mentioned him, too, occasionally. :-)

Double AA

9:44 PM

Do we need yovel and shmita? @HodofHod @msh210 @AnyoneHere

HodofHod

@DoubleAA Why not?

Double AA

@HodofHod A lot of aspects of the two overlap and neither is going to get such a large number of questions. I propose something like shemitta-yovel.

HodofHod

@DoubleAA Ahh, I could agree with that. I was afraid you were going to suggest yovel being merged into shemitta.

Double AA

@msh210 Thoughts ^^^

msh210

@DoubleAA A lot overlap, but a lot don't. If you want my input, I have a weak preference of keeping them separate.

Double AA

9:53 PM

hmmmm....

HodofHod

@DoubleAA same, I'd say

Monica Cellio

10:17 PM

@DoubleAA oh, sorry -- for some reason it didn't occur to me to tag that shmitta. Maybe @DoubleAA's combined tag?

Double AA

@MonicaCellio Certainly no need to apologize. Yovel is different from Shemitta. I'm just questioning if it is worth continuing with separate tagging.

TRiG

3 hours ago, by TRiG

@HodofHod My problem on this site is that the jargon is so dense I barely have any idea what's going on.

Monica Cellio

@DoubleAA it's different, but (demonstrably) so far light on questions. I'm not a big fan of gazillions of little tags, so I don't object to combining.

Thanks @msh210 for the edit. Your knowledge of the available tags never fails to impress me. "Transactions" and "real-estate" both make perfect sense in retrospect...

msh210

10:34 PM

@MonicaCellio Welcs.

Double AA

Shmita

The sabbath year, in Hebrew shmita (, literally "release"), also called the Sabbatical Year, is the seventh year of the seven-year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah for the Land of Israel, and still observed in contemporary Judaism. During Shmita, the land is left to lie fallow and all agricultural activity (including plowing, planting, pruning and harvesting) is forbidden by Torah law. Other cultivation techniques (such as watering, fertilizing, weeding, spraying, trimming and mowing) may be performed as a preventative measure only, not to improve the growth of trees or plants. Add...

Jubilee (biblical)

The Jubilee (Hebrew yovel יובל) year is the year at the end of seven cycles of Sabbatical years (Hebrew Shmita), and according to Biblical regulations had a special impact on the ownership and management of land in the territory of the kingdoms of Israel and of Judah; there is some debate whether it was the 49th year (the last year of seven sabbatical cycles, referred to as the Sabbath's Sabbath), or whether it was the following (50th) year. The biblical rules concerning Sabbatical years (shmita) are still observed by many religious Jews in the State of Israel, but the regulations for t...

TRiG

@DoubleAA Now I've heard of both of those (a JW upbringing will do that to you).

Adam Mosheh

11:44 PM

Why do people feel the need to preface every answer with CYLOR? If people believe it is really necessary, then preface instead with "I am not a rabbi, but my understanding of the halakha is as follows:" — Adam Mosheh 44 secs ago

7

A: Is the lemon slice added to a soda in many bars a problem kosher-wise?

Ask your rabbi. And a warning: if you're trying to impress your date by just quoting my answer here, there's a decent chance she's seen it too by now, so nice try. (But then again, if you're both yodeyans, you're off to a good start ...) Here are the issues, as I understand them and as I've he...

(ayein: my comment on that answer)

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