Archive-name: judaism/FAQ/01-FAQ-intro Posting-Frequency: Monthly Frequently Asked Questions on Soc.Culture.Jewish Part 1: Introduction to the FAQ and Soc.Culture.Jewish [Last Change: $Date: 1995/03/29 19:07:04 $ $Revision: 1.23 $] [Last Post: Wed Mar 29 11:07:06 1995] This posting is an attempt to answer questions that are continually asked on soc.culture.jewish. It was written by cooperating laypeople from the various Judaic movements. You SHOULD NOT make any assumption as to accuracy and/or authoritativeness of the answers provided herein. In all cases, it is always best to consult a competent authority -- your local rabbi is a good place to start. The deceased sages described within are of blessed memory, (assume a Z"L or ZT"L after their names) and the sages alive today should live to see long and good days (assume SHLITA). May Hashem grant complete recovery to the ill. Individual honorifics are omitted. The FAQ was produced by a committee and is a cooperative work. The contributors never standardized on a {Hebrew,Aramaic,Yiddish,Ladino}-->English transliteration scheme. As a result, the same original word might appear with a variety of spellings. This is complicated by the fact that there are regional variations in the pronunciation of Hebrew. In some places, the common spelling variations are mentioned; in others --- not. We hope that this is not too confusing. This list should be used in conjunction with the Soc.Culture.Jewish reading lists that are posted separately. Similar questions can be found in the books referenced in those lists. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: Copyright Notice The soc.culture.jewish FAQ and reading lists are not to be reproduced for commercial use unless the party reproducing the FAQ agrees to the following: 1) They will contact the FAQ maintainer to obtain the latest version for their collection. 2) They will provide the FAQ maintainer with information on what collection the copy of the FAQ is in, and how that collection may be obtained. 3) They will agree, in writing, that the FAQ will be included in the collection without modification, and that acknowledgements of contributors to the FAQ remain in the FAQ. 4) They will agree, in writing, that the collection including the FAQ will be distributed on either a non-profit basis, or have some percentage of profit donated to Tzedakah (Charity) To support this, this FAQ is Compilation Copyright (c) 1993,1994 by Daniel P. Faigin (the FAQ maintainer) on behalf of soc.culture.jewish. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: Organization The following is a summary list of all the questions asked in the FAQ. This portion of the FAQ contains answers to those questions in Section 1. For other questions, the appropriate part in which the answer can be found is indicated. [Part 1/10] Section 1. Network and Soc.Culture.Jewish Information 1.1. Why is this group called soc.culture.jewish? 1.2. I just found S.C.J. What is this network? 1.3. What topics are appropriate for S.C.J? 1.4. What topics are *not* appropriate for S.C.J? 1.5. When should I post to talk.politics.mideast? 1.6. Is it appropriate to discuss Israel in soc.culture.jewish? 1.7. How should I respond to inappropriate articles? 1.8. But I don't get T.P.M? Now what? 1.9. A. Random Jew posted X to a.b.c; I disagree. What should I do? 1.10. Can non-Jews post to S.C.J? 1.11. May I post this great Jewish essay I just read? 1.12. (Hebrew Usage) I have a question nogaiah hilchos... 1.13. Do S.C.J readers want to make it into a moderated group? 1.14. How do I keep up with the volume? Should I try a KILL file? 1.15. I've just found (insert name here) ... 1.16. What are the Do's and Don'ts? [Part 2/10] Section 2. Who We Are 2.1. Who reads soc.culture.jewish? 2.2. What are the major Jewish movements? 2.3. What is Conservative Judaism? 2.4. What is Orthodox Judaism? 2.5. What is Reform Judaism? 2.6. What about other movements? 2.7. What are some of the Orthodox sub-groups? 2.8. What is Chassidism and how does it differ from other Orthodox... 2.9. What is Chabad and Chabad-Lubavitch? 2.10. What are OCR (O-C-R) wars? Why all the flames? 2.11. But Reform Judaism *isn't* Judaism? Why don't they see that? 2.12. But Orthodox Judaism *isn't* Judaism? Why don't they see that? 2.13. Why shouldn't I say "ultra-Orthodox" or "reformed"? 2.14. How does a Chassid differ from Misnagid? 2.15. What is a "Torah Jew?" 2.16. Is it true that Jews are all (fill-in-the-blank)? 2.17. How many Jews are there today in the U.S.A.? [Part 3/10] Section 3. Torah 3.1. What are the books of the Jewish Bible? 3.2. Why, in the Tanakh, does G-d have so many Names? 3.3. What is the Talmud? 3.4. Who wrote the Torah? Section 4. Halachic Authority 4.1. What is "Halacha"? How is it determined? 4.2. In Orthodox Judaism, what are the levels of halacha? 4.3. In Orthodox Judaism, what are the different rabbinic eras? 4.4. How can differing halachic rulings all be considered valid? 4.5. How does the Conservative movement deal with Halachic questions? 4.6. How do Ortho/Ortho disagreements differ from Ortho/Reform? 4.7. Who is RAMBAM that is mentioned & what are his 13 principles 4.8. Who was Rashi? 4.9. Who was the Ramban? 4.10. What is Kabbalah and how can I learn about it? 4.11. Who is allowed to study Kabbalah? [Part 4/10] Section 5. Jewish Holidays 5.1 What are the different holidays 5.2. What are the dates of the upcoming Jewish holidays? 5.3. How can I get a Jewish calendar 5.4. Why do some people take off one day, and others two? 5.5. Why does the Jewish day start at sundown? Section 6. Jewish Dietary Law and Kashrut 6.1. What is Kosher? Doesn't a rabbi just bless the food 6.2. How can I learn about Kashrut? Is there a "Kosher" FAQ? 6.3. There are a wide variety of kosher symbols. How do I learn who's behind them? 6.4. I'm going to be in . How do I find the kosher restaurants? 6.5. Do I need to have a kosher kitchen and kosher home to keep kosher? 6.6. Why do different groups wait different times? 6.7. Why are there different customs on Pesach (i.e., Kitniyos)? 6.8. I'm a vegetarian health-food proponent. Is kosher food healthier? 6.9. Is vegetarianism kosher? Section 7. Sabbath and Holiday Observance 7.1. What is the Jewish Sabbath and why is it on Saturday? 7.2. Why do my Orthodox Jewish friends leave work early on Fridays and before Jewish holidays? Section 8. Woman and Marriage 8.1. What role do women play in Judaism? 8.2. What is the Conservative view of the role of women in Judaism? 8.3. What is the Reform view of the role of women in Judaism? 8.4. What is the Orthodox view of the role of women in Judaism? 8.5. I've heard the Orthodox men are grateful for not being women... 8.6. What about polygamy? 8.7. What does clean/unclean refer to? [Part 5/10] Section 9. Jewish Worship 9.1. How does a rabbi differ from a priest? 9.2. Do you need a rabbi for a wedding? 9.3. Do you need a rabbi for a divorce? 9.4. How do Jews pray? 9.5. Is there a distinctly Jewish form of meditation? 9.6. Does Judaism have a strong tradition of religious art and music? Section 10. Conversion, Intermarriage, and "Who is a Jew?" 10.1. Does Halacha (Jewish law) permit intermarriage? 10.2. I'm a Jew who married a gentile. Am I still Jewish? 10.3. I'm a Jew who left Judaism. Can I return? 10.4. Apart from Halacha, why do Jews oppose intermarriage? 10.5. Is objection to intermarriage a form of bigotry? 10.6. But I still want to intermarry? Do you know of a Rabbi that performs intermarriages? 10.7. How does one convert? 10.8. What does the word "Jew" mean? 10.9. Who is a Jew? Section 11. Miscellaneous Practice Questions 11.1. Why do some Jewish women cover their hair? 11.2. Why do many Jewish men wear head coverings? 11.3. Why do some people write "G-d" with a hyphen instead of an `o'? 11.4. Why do some Jews write "J-s-s" and "Xianity?" 11.5. What is a Tallis? Tzit-tzit(those fringes)? Why do Jews wear them? 11.6. What are those black boxes and leather straps Jewish men wear? 11.7. Why do many Jewish men sport beards? 11.8. What's this I've heard about a hole in a sheet? 11.9. Why do some Jews wear black coats, fur hats, etc.? 11.10. Does Judaism permit slavery? 11.11. What does "eye for an eye" mean? 11.12. What is Shaatnez? 11.13. What is circumcision? 11.14. Why are Jewish boys circumcised? 11.15. Who performs the circumcision? 11.16. When is the circumcision done? 11.17. But doesn't it hurt? 11.18. But shouldn't the child make its own decision? 11.19. But circumcision is only required for boys. What about girls? 11.20. What about adults who are not circumcised? 11.21. What other forms of body modification are allowed? Tatoos? Earrings 11.22. Is it true that someone with tatoos cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetary? 11.23. I've heard about a custom of putting stones on the grave. Do you know where this custom originated? [Part 6/10] Section 12. Jewish Thought 12.1. What is the Jewish concept of G-d? 12.2. Can one doubt G-d's existence and still be a good Jew? 12.3. How does traditional Judaism relate to modern science? 12.4. Does modern science contradict liberal readings of the Torah? 12.5. Can one be Orthodox and a scientist too? 12.6. What does "chosen people" mean? 12.7. What is the Jewish concept of the Messiah? 12.8. What happens when a person dies? 12.9. What was the job of a prophet? 12.10. Are there prophets today? 12.11. Who were the prophets? How many? 12.12. What is the Jewish view on the question of "free will." 12.13. What about angels, demons, miracles, and the supernatural? 12.14. What do Jews hope/expect of the future? 12.15. How can Jews reject (insert true belief here)? 12.16. Isn't it good enough to be a good person? 12.17. How does Judaism differ from (insert -ism here)? 12.18. Where can a Gentile learn about Judaism? 12.19. What does Judaism say about non-Jews? [Part 7/10] Section 13. Jews as a Nation 13.1. What are the different racial and cultural groups of Jews? 13.2. What are the differences between Sephardim and Ashkenazim? 13.3. Where did the Beita Yisrael (Falashas) come from? 13.4. Who were the Khazars? Are Ashkenazi Jews descended from the Khazars? 13.5. Who are Crypto-Jews (also known as "marranos")? 13.6. Sephardi/Ashkenazi vs. O/C/R? [Part 8/10] Section 14. Jews and Israel 14.1. Who is an Israeli? Who may enter Israel under its Law of Return? 14.2. What is Zion? 14.3. What is Zionism? 14.4. Are all Jews Zionists? 14.5. Do Diaspora Jews (Jews outside Israel) support Zionism? 14.6. I've heard there are Orthodox Jews who are against Israel? 14.7. Did Zionism end with the establishment of Israel? 14.8. Are antisemitism and anti-Zionism the same thing? 14.9. Is Zionism racist? 14.10. What are the roots of Arab opposition to Zionism? 14.11. Can't you criticize Israel without being antisemitic? 14.12. Why is opposition to Israel often seen as being antisemitic? 14.13. Why is Jerusalem so important to Jews? 14.14. I want to move to Israel. Can I become a citizen? 14.15. What is the Wailing Wall and why is it so important? 14.16. Questions on aliyah, military service for olim and more [Part 9/10] Section 15. Churban Europa (The Holocaust) 15.1. Why do Jews seem to treat the Holocaust as their tragedy alone? 15.2. Where can I get information on the Holocaust? 15.3. How do I get tickets to see the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum? Section 16. Antisemitism and Rumors about Jews 16.1. Why is antisemitism used to mean anti-Jewish? 16.2. Is there any truth to the myth of the Jewish American Princess? 16.3. What is the connection between Judaism and Freemasonry? Section 17. Countering Missionaries 17.1. What about (sic) "Jews for Jesus" or (sic) "Messianic Jews"? 17.2. Is belief in Jesus-as-God compatible with any Jewish movements? 17.3. What do missionary groups believe? 17.4. What sort of deceptive terminology do missionaries use? 17.5. How can these missionaries be countered? 17.6. Who is financing "Jews for Jesus" and similar groups? [Part 10/10] Section 18. Miscellaneous 18.1. I want to become more observant. Where do I start? 18.2. Why is "shabbat" spelled sometimes shabbath, shabbath, shabbos, 18.3. What are some common Hebrew and Yiddish phrases I see on S.C.J? 18.4. What do all those abbreviations like Z"L mean? 18.5. Is "shvartze" offensive? Is "goyim" offensive? 18.6. What does "shiksa" and "shaygetz" mean? 18.7. Can you provide me with a list of kosher restaurants in ? 18.8. I am going to be in <>, where can I eat, stay for Shabbat. 18.9. What do bagels, lox, ... have to do with being a Jew? 18.10. What does Warren Burstein's signature mean? 18.11. Who was the sixth Marx brother? 18.12. Why do Hebrew clocks run clockwise, not counter-clockwise? 18.13. I'm not Jewish. How do I show my love for the Jewish people? 18.14. What is the origin of the word "kike"? Section 19. References and Getting Connected 19.1. I'd like to learn more? Do you have any books to recommend? 19.2. What are the different hechsher symbols? 19.3. What are the Jewish-oriented mailing lists? 19.4. Are there any moderated mailing lists? 19.5. Are there any Jewish-oriented gophers or WWW servers? 19.6. How do I get access to S.C.J? 19.7. Is S.C.J available via a Listserv or other e-mail means? 19.8. What divrei Torah are posted to Usenet? 19.9. Where can I find collected divrei Torah? 19.10. What software is available for Hebrew applications? 19.11. Are there conversion programs for the Jewish and other calendars? 19.12. Are there any Jewish Libraries on the Internet? The following separate FAQs related to Judaism are also published as part of the S.C.J. FAQ: o Jewish Resources by Mail Order and Computer Steve Seidman o Reform Judaism (under development, not yet available) Daniel Faigin All portions of the FAQ are organized as digests, and should be undigestifyable by software such as Gnus or rn. Please report any difficulties. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: Archival and Credits Anonymous FTP: All portions of the FAQ and of the reading lists are archived on shamash.nysernet.org [192.77.173.13] and on rtfm.mit.edu, and are available for anonymous FTP. The locations of parts of the FAQ on shamash.nysernet.org are as follows: ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/01-FAQ-intro ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/02-Who-We-Are ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/03-Torah-Halacha ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/04-Observance ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/05-Worship ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/06-Jewish-Thought ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/07-Jews-As-Nation ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/08-Israel ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/09-Antisemitism ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/10-Miscellaneous ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/FAQ/mail-order The locations of the parts of the reading lists on shamash.nysernet.org are as follows: ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/general ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/traditional ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/chasidism ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/reform ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/conservative ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/reconstructionist ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/humanistic ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/zionism ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/antisemitism ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/intermarriage ftp://shamash.nysernet.org/israel/lists/scj-faq/reading-lists/periodicals If you are accessing the archives on rtfm.mit.edu, the pathname is pub/usenet/news.answers/judaism, instead of israel/lists/scj-faq. Mail: The files may also be obtained via Email by sending a message to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following line in the body of the message: send usenet/news.answers/judaism/(portionname) Where (portionname) is replaced by the appropriate subdirectory and filenames; for example, to get the first part of the reading list, one would say: send usenet/news.answers/judaism/reading-lists/general WWW/Mosaic: The FAQ and reading lists are available by following the following pointer: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/bngusenet/soc/culture/jewish/top.html Credits: The Frequently Asked Questions were developed by a committee consisting of Mike Allen, Jerry Altzman, Rabbi Charles Arian, Jacob Baltuch (Past Chair), Joseph Berry, Warren Burstein, Stewart Clamen, Daniel Faigin, Avi Feldblum, Itzhak "Jeff" Finger, Gedaliah Friedenberg, Yechezkal Gutfreund, Art Kamlet, Alan Lustiger, Hillel Markowitz, Len Moskowitz, Colin Naturman, Aliza Panitz, Eliot Shimoff, Mark Steinberger, Steven Weintraub, Matthew Wiener, and headed by Robert Levene. The organization and structuring of the lists for posting purposes was done by D. Faigin, who is currently maintaining the lists. Other contributors include Ken Arromdee, Josh Backon, Micha Berger, Eli Birnbaum, Todd J. Dicker, Sean Engelson, Miriam Jerris, Yosef Kazen, Arnaldo Mandel, Ilana Manspeizer, Seth Ness, Michael Sidlofsky, Frank Smith, Andy Tannenbaum, marktan@aol.com, and Art Werschulz. Comments and corrections are welcome. You may address comments either to the maintainer (faigin@aero.org) or to the SCJ FAQ committee (scj-faq-list@columbia.edu). Note that the goal is to present a balanced view of Judaism; where a response is applicable to a particular movement only, this will be noted. Unless otherwise noted or implied by the text, all responses reflect the traditional viewpoint. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.1. Why is this group called soc.culture.jewish? Wouldn't soc.religion.jewish be more appropriate? The name "soc.culture.jewish" (S.C.J) is a net.historical relic. In the early years of Usenet, the newsgroup was named net.religion.jewish. When the Great Renaming was looming (see _The New Hacker's Dictionary_), there was a common belief that renaming it talk.religion.jewish would be detrimental to the group's success. So the net's collective Yiddishe kopfe did an end run around this, by proposing that the group be moved into the soc.culture.* hierarchy. And here we are. While Jews have argued forever about whether Judaism is more of a "culture" or a "religion" or a something else, the choice of name for this newsgroup is not proof of anything. So if you start arguing "but this group is soc.CULTURE.jewish, so...," please, as a well known character in a 1970's US television comedy series says: "just stifle." ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.2. I just found S.C.J. What is this network? S.C.J is part of Usenet, and is gatewayed to other networks, such as Fidonet and Keshernet. Read the posts in news.announce.newusers for details. They're available via anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu in pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers. % ftp rtfm.mit.edu Enter userid: anonymous Enter password: myname@mysite.edu ftp> cd pub/usenet/news.announce.newusers ftp> mget Emily* (respond 'y') ftp> mget Answers* (respond 'y') ftp> mget A_Primer* (respond 'y') ftp> quit % ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.3. What topics are appropriate for S.C.J? Soc.culture.jewish is for discussions concerning Judaism and the surrounding culture (Yiddishkeit, Hebrew, Jewish motherhood, etc.). This includes discussions regarding the various recognized movements within Judaism, debates over halacha, Torah interpretations, etc. "Divrey Torah" - long or short sermons relating to Judaism and Torah, are especially welcome. Survey questions are also appropriate, such as "How does your community organize its free loan societies and scholarships for poor Jews who want a Jewish education?" Discussions about aliyah and Zionism are appropriate, but only if they remain in a Jewish context. If you want to talk about the more political or secular aspects of these subjects, it is more appropriate to use soc.culture.israel. Factual discussions of the holocaust (shoah) are allowed in S.C.J; however, those wishing to discuss that issue might want to explore instead the newsgroup soc.culture.jewish.holocaust. S.C.J.H is a moderated newsgroup that serves as a storagehouse for all kinds of information from various sources on the Holocaust in Europe that occurred between 1942-1945 (along with the events leading up to it that happened in the early 30's). The newsgroup includes Holocaust materials from both personal testimonies of survivors and their families and "hard" facts from historians and observers. It is moderated to prevent any anti-Semitic or race-baiting comments from Neo-Nazis or self-proclaimed "academic" Holocaust deniers or revisionists, and is not be a forum for discussing whether or not the Shoah happened; instead, S.C.J.H is a place for intelligent and factual discussion of the Shoah. For those Usenet readers who wish to debate the existence of the Holocaust, they are encouraged to read the groups alt.revisionists and soc.history, along with the group alt.skinheads. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.4. What topics are *not* appropriate for S.C.J? Middle East politics, especially international issues concerning Israel, belong in talk.politics.mideast (T.P.M), not S.C.J. You certainly should not crosspost between S.C.J and T.P.M. Discussions of internal Israeli politics belong in soc.culture.israel (S.C.I). Again, they should not be crossposted to S.C.J. Pick whichever one is appropriate. Discussions of Israeli Culture are inappropriate for S.C.J; rather, they belong in s.c.i. Crossposting between S.C.I and S.C.J is appropriate ONLY for articles dealing with Jewish, as opposed to secular Israeli, issues. If the group il.talk exists, it is also appropriate for discussions of Israeli culture, but note that its distribution is limited to Israel and sites receiving the il distribution (for example, nysernet.org). Material that is available from a listserv is inappropriate to post to s.c.j (that is, the entire newsgroup shouldn't receive the list). However, a SINGLE weekly message listing the lists available is reasonable. The FAQ Committee is current incorporating this information into the reading list portion of the FAQ. One sample from a new list is allowed. Readers of S.C.J are committed to their religion; it is inappropriate to "witness" or preach. Discussions of so-called "Messianic Judaism[sic]," and the Christian missionary organization calling itself "Jews for Jesus," and similar topics belong in alt.messianic or the appropriate talk.religion.* group; don't crosspost them to S.C.J. Revisionist teachings (i.e., those teachings that attempt to deny that the holocaust ever happened) are inappropriate for S.C.J. They belong in alt.revisionism. For more information on how to cope with those holding revisionist beliefs, the interested reader is referred to [Lip93] (Lipstadt, Deborah. _Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory_.) in the Antisemitism portion of the reading list. Lastly, try to avoid personal attacks. Don't write "Lashon Hara", derogatory information about people or groups. (If slanderous and *false*, it's called "Motzei Shem Ra") It is also forbidden to embarrass others in public. (Rare exceptions exist, so read a book such as R' Pliskin's _Guard your Tongue_ for details.) As Josh Backon reminded us: The Bible states (Leviticus 19:17): "You shall surely rebuke your neighbor and not bear sin because of him". The Talmud comments that you may reprove your neighbor as long as you do not insult him but if you embarrass him by making him blush or turn pale from shame or fury then you have incurred guilt because of him (Sifra, Kedoshim 4:8; Talmud Arachin 16b). The Talmud (Shevuot 36a) mentions a general prohibition against insulting a fellow man. Pirke Avot (3:11) states that he who causes embarrassment to a fellow man has no share in the world-to-come. The Talmud (Bava Metzia 58b) compared the slanderer to a shedder of blood, and the Rambam (Hilchot Chovel Umazzik 3:7) characterized all slanderers as wicked and stupid. The later scholars instituted disciplinary floggings for cases of slander (Choshen Mishpat 420:41). Eliot Shimoff expressed it this way: Lots of people read what we post; there are many lurkers who read and don't post. Keep them in mind when you write. If you are offended by some aspect of the Reform movement, it does little good to post a vituperative attack on that G-dless crew of evil people; your audience is far more likely to be offended than to either learn or think. Similarly, it does little good to write a missive pointing out how backward, narrow-minded and medieval those Orthodox Jews are; you are offending, but not teaching or informing. If your goal is to increase the influence of Reform Judaism, discuss its strong points rather than attacking Orthodoxy; the greatest enemies of Reform are those who advocate it by denigrating (usually inaccurately) Orthodoxy. Similarly, if your goal is to spread the Orthodox understanding of Torah, don't try to do so by attacking non-Orthodox movements; instead, try to explain the Orthodox position, and to show its strengths. In addition to the lurkers, there is also the Lurker; we should all try to ensure that whatever we write should not only be accurate, but should also be kiddush haShem, a sanctification of G-d's name. We should always write in a form that will get readers to say, at least, "I disagree with this person, but he/she is a fundamentally decent human being who is trying, to the best of his/her ability, to be a good person (although there are some non-Jewish posters), a good Jew." ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.5. When should I post to talk.politics.mideast? Soc.culture.Arabic? T.P.M was created specifically for discussions of the politics of the interaction of middle eastern countries. The Arab-Israeli conflict, the Turkish-Armenian conflict, and similar battles are appropriate topics for the list, at least until separate groups are created for those subtopics. A post about the PLO or terrorism probably belongs in T.P.M. Internal Arab politics generally belong on soc.culture.Arabic. Internal Israeli politics should be discussed in soc.culture.israel. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.6. Is it appropriate to discuss Israel in soc.culture.jewish? Only if it is in the context of Jewish religion or Jewish culture. General discussions about Israel, and discussions of Israeli politics belong in soc.culture.israel. Discussions about the religious basis for Zionism and religious legislation in Israel are OK for S.C.J. Note that there is a lot of information available about Israel, in particular, the subjects of Aliyah and Zionism, from JERUSALEM-ONE. This information is avialable via gopher: gopher://jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il/ But interaction with other countries is really a matter for talk.politics.mideast. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.7. How should I respond to inappropriate articles? Somebody posted an inappropriate article to S.C.J or T.P.M. Respond once where the person directed followups, or where the article was posted. Set the Followup-To: header line to the appropriate group, and start your article with a note that you are re-setting followups to the appropriate group, and will not continue discussion in the inappropriate group. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.8. But I don't get T.P.M? Now what? You don't get T.P.M? Ask yourself, why not? Whoever owns your machine has made a strategic decision about the costs of getting S.C.J and T.P.M. You have no right to overrule that decision. You can discuss it with your site management, but please, leave S.C.J out of it. T.P.M was created a spinoff from S.C.J, just to get rid of the endless Mideast discussions. If you still feel this strongly, then get an account on a machine that has T.P.M access. Alternately, you can subscribe via Listserv to receive T.P.M by mail (note that this will put a heavy mail load on your machine). To receive T.P.M by mail, send a message to listserv@shamash.nysernet.org, saying: subscribe tpm "John Doe" Substitute your name for "John Doe" Do not specify a Subject: line in the message, and do not include any other lines (e.g. do not include your signature). Specify your real name, not your computer address. Don't say "please" or "thank you" as this will only confuse the computer. Also, do not put any punctuation marks in your message. Since T.P.M sends out a lot of messages (over 100 a day sometimes), you might prefer to receive digests. Digests go out when 1000 lines of messages have accumlated, or at least once a day. To change your subscription so that you receive digests, send a message to listserv@shamash.nysernet.org, saying set tpm mail digest You can put the SUBSCRIBE and SET commands in the same message, as long as each is on a separate line. Note that internal Israeli politics, or discussions about the IDF, are not considered "Mideast politics". ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.9. A. Random Jew posted X to a.b.c; I disagree. What should I do? Although the poster may be Jewish, that is not a valid reason to include S.C.J in your list of followup newsgroups. If you are disputing what the poster said, it is always best to (after pausing to reflect) respond via private Email. If you feel the answer has wide public interest, you should followup the response in the groups to which the article was originally posted. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.10. Can non-Jews post to S.C.J? All Usenet readers have equal right to post to S.C.J.. However, as with all newsgroups, you should note that the collective readership has a general consensus on what types of posting are acceptable. In the case of S.C.J., this consensus reflects the fact that most of the readers are Jewish. Also, don't post general questions which can be answered in this FAQ or in a library. If your motivation is simply to get an answer to a question, you can send e-mail to a few regular posters. If you choose to ask your question of the S.C.J readership, you may be placed under suspicion of being a missionary, especially if you "innocently" ask something like "Someone please explain to me why Jews stubbornly refuse to accept my faith, when it's written right in your Bible..." We've seen it all a thousand times before, and unsolicited declarations of belief in in S.C.J convey the message " supports harassing Jews." You're welcome to observe, participate, and learn about Judaism. Proselytizing is inappropriate. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.11. May I post this great Jewish essay I just read? Yes, if you obtain permission from the publisher. They are often glad to give permission to republish articles occasionally, provided that you include subscription information. Point out to them that several S.C.J readers have subscribed to journals after seeing articles republished electronically. All it usually takes is a phone call or letter. If you only wish to discuss the essayist's ideas, just post a summary and a pointer to the article for interested readers. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.12. I have a question nogaiah hilchos maaser... QUESTION: I have a question nogaiah hilchos maaser kesafim b'zman hazeh... Eem yeish lee meah or fewer shekalim and some are hefker ... ANSWER: Please! The primary language for Usenet is English. Translate your Hebrew and Aramaic when you post in order to maximize the understanding of what you write. Include a glossary for the lesser known terms. Some common ones are part of this FAQ (see Section 17 in Part 10). Usenet is a bad place to ask technical questions of Jewish law. Instead, ask a qualified rabbi. If you know of none, then post a request for rabbinic advice - many have access to electronic mail, and many readers can find a rabbi near you. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.13. Do S.C.J readers want to make it into a moderated group? Some do, but most hope that this very list will reduce the need for spending bandwidth re-answering common questions. There has been recent discussion about using a form of automoderation to eliminate crosspostings, and nothing else. We'll see what happens. This question gets put before the readership of S.C.J about every three years. So far the overwhelming response has been to leave S.C.J unmoderated. There do exist moderated mailing lists for those who wish. Many on S.C.J feel that part of its appeal and taam (flavor/tang/spice) comes from the freewheeling unmoderated approach which brings together posters from all parts of the spectrum. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.14. How do I keep up with the volume? Should I try a KILL file? QUESTION: Whew, there's a lot of volume on S.C.J. I can hardly keep up. How can I eliminate cross-posted articles, or articles by annoying netflamer J. Random Luser, or any article with "legitimate" in its Subject? ANSWER: You need to use a "kill file." It's an algorithm which scans articles and eliminates those meeting criteria you specify. If you read news with "rn" or one of its offspring, you need to create a file News/soc/culture/jewish/KILL consisting of lines such as: /talk.politics/h:j [skip all articles cross-posted to talk.politics.*] /J. Random Luser/h:j [skip all articles written by J. Random Luser] /egitimate/j [skip all articles with "egitimate" in Subject] If you use rn, trn, or any of its varients, you can find a useful explanation of how to make a kill file in the Killfile FAQ. This is available on rtfm.mit.edu or ftp.uu.net. The URL is: ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/news.answers/killfile.faq ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/usenet/news.answers/killfile.faq This can be retrieved by sending Email to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the following line in the body of the message: send usenet/news.answers/killfile.faq Other newsreaders implement this feature differently. For example, the maintainer of this FAQ uses the "gnus" package from within Gnu Emacs. His kill file looks like: (gnus-kill "Xref" "talk\\.politics") (gnus-kill "Author" "joe_user@site\\.com") (gnus-kill "Subject" "\\blegitimate\\b") (gnus-expunge "x") If you use Gnus, you can find out more information on the killfile facility by typing M-x info within gnus. If you use the newsreader nn, James Kahn wrote that you can just type K (that is, a capital K), and nn will then prompt you for various things, such as whether to kill by name or by subject, etc. If you use a different newsreading program, you may be out of luck. In that case, your best bet is to ask someone at your local site how to create killfiles, or read the manual about your newsreading program. You might consider writing a perl script to preprocess your news for you. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.15. I've just found (insert name here) ... QUESTION: I've just found Jesus/ LaRouche/ Muhammad/ Marx/ Moon/ L.RonHubbard/ Cthulhu and I'd like you to find him, too. Here's an essay written by someone raised in a Jewish home who converted to my faith... ANSWER: Proselytizing on S.C.J is highly rude and unwelcome, and will greatly diminish the respect S.C.J readers have for you and your group. Although we could direct you to some other group in which to post, you should be aware that proselytizing over the network is, in general, not well accepted. You would just as likely be rebuffed in another group as well. That said, if you want to explore your religion more (and it isn't Judaism), there are plenty of groups that are more appropriate. Please consult your list of newsgroups. ------------------------------------------------------------ Subject: 1.16. What are the Do's and Don'ts? Here's a summary. o Learn about Usenet before you post. o Follow S.C.J and read news.announce.newusers. o Use the appropriate newsgroups: Israeli politics belongs on "soc.culture.israel" or "talk.politics.mideast"; Holocaust denyers belong on "alt.revisionism"; Messianics belong on "alt.messianic"; Middle east politics belongs on "talk.politics.mideast"; discussions about Turkey and Armenia belong on "soc.culture.turkish". o Know your audience and make your posts understandable. o Trim quoted material whenever possible, and try to ensure there is content in your posting (except, perhaps, during the month of Adar) o Direct specific halachic questions to rabbis, but you can discuss the general concept on S.C.J. o Do post divrey Torah [short sermons on Jewish topics]. o Don't challenge the validity of Judaism or assert the superiority of other religions and prophets thereof. o Don't write "lashon hara" [true slander] or "motzei sheim ra" [false slander]. o Don't start posting until you've finished reading this FAQ. ------------------------------------------------------------ -- Please mail additions or corrections to me at faigin@aero.org. End of S.C.J FAQ Part 1 (FAQ Intro and S.C.J Intro) Digest ************************** ------- -- [W]: The Aerospace Corp. M1/055 * POB 92957 * LA, CA 90009-2957 * 310/336-8228 [Email]:faigin@aero.org, faigin@acm.org [Vmail]:310/336-5454 Box#68228 Erin Shoshana (b. 11/17/94) update: Erin's reaction to Green Beans: You want me to eat that?! It's green!