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Halachipedia:About: Difference between revisions
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Our goal is to create the greatest, most useful, and readily available resource for Halacha on the web. Our intentions are leshem shamayim. We aim to police the site to keep contributions true to torah misinai. We envision that an undertaking this massive would only be done as a joint effort by klal yisroel, hence we chose to use the open code wiki platform. Obviously open code can be misused. Please help us in the effort. This project can use lots of help. If you have time to volunteer towards populating, cleaning or checking references, please contact us at support@halachipedia.com. Note this is not the same as Halachapedia. | Our goal is to create the greatest, most useful, and readily available resource for Halacha on the web. Our intentions are leshem shamayim. We aim to police the site to keep contributions true to torah misinai. We envision that an undertaking this massive would only be done as a joint effort by klal yisroel, hence we chose to use the open code wiki platform. Obviously open code can be misused. Please help us in the effort. This project can use lots of help. If you have time to volunteer towards populating, cleaning or checking references, please contact us at support@halachipedia.com. Note this is not the same as [[Halachapedia]]. | ||
==Who are we?== | ==Who are we?== | ||
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* [http://nleresources.com/2012/10/17/halachipedia/ Jewish Educators Resources from Ner LeElef] | * [http://nleresources.com/2012/10/17/halachipedia/ Jewish Educators Resources from Ner LeElef] | ||
* [http://thebeaconmag.com/2012/02/arts_and_culture/halachipedia-com-according-to-its-maker/ Article in YU's The Beacon Magazine] | * [http://thebeaconmag.com/2012/02/arts_and_culture/halachipedia-com-according-to-its-maker/ Article in YU's The Beacon Magazine] | ||
* [http://www.communitym.com/article.asp?article_id=103166&article_type=0 Article in Community Magazine] | |||
==Reliability of Halachipedia== | ==Reliability of Halachipedia== | ||
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==A possible argument against Halachipedia== | ==A possible argument against Halachipedia== | ||
<p style="text-indent: 2em">One of the main concerns about Halachipedia is that it threatens asking the local Rabbi. However, after thinking through the issue, the challenge can be addressed adequately. A very common misconception is that any question about how to act in a certain situation requires a pesak from a certified posek and anyone who tries to find the halacha autonomously is arrogant and mistaken. However, one should notice that halacha is a process which has developed over time and there has been two main streams of halachic literature. The essence of Halacha is the body of literature, spanning from the Gemara to achronim, comprised of books that are devoted to clarifying and organizing halacha. Over the centuries, communities and even the whole of the Jewish people have accepted certain books as more authoritative. Determining which books are definitive is not a science yet certainly is not guesswork. Practically speaking certain books that are widely accepted become accepted practice (Minhag) of a group, community, sect, and sometimes all of the Jewish people. </p> | <p style="text-indent: 2em">One of the main concerns about Halachipedia is that it threatens asking the local Rabbi. However, after thinking through the issue, the challenge can be addressed adequately. A very common misconception is that any question about how to act in a certain situation requires a pesak from a certified posek and anyone who tries to find the halacha autonomously is arrogant and mistaken. However, one should notice that halacha is a process which has developed over time and there has been two main streams of halachic literature. The essence of Halacha is the body of literature, spanning from the Gemara to achronim, comprised of books that are devoted to clarifying and organizing halacha. Over the centuries, communities and even the whole of the Jewish people have accepted certain books as more authoritative. Determining which books are definitive is not a science yet certainly is not guesswork. Practically speaking certain books that are widely accepted become accepted practice (Minhag) of a group, community, sect, and sometimes all of the Jewish people. </p> | ||
<p style="text-indent: 2em">Therefore, if someone asks whether I can light a fire on Shabbat I don’t need a posek I just tell him that it's forbidden, it’s obvious, it’s a פסוק in the Torah! Similarly, many opinions permit relaying the rulings of Shulchan Aruch as is because of how widely accepted the opinion of Shulchan Aruch has become. Similarly, the Mishna Brurah is one of the most widely accepted books among Ashkenazim, the Shulchan Aruch HaRav among Chasidim, and occasionally the Ben Ish Chai or Yalkut Yosef among Sephardim. Without a doubt each of the above do not have the a monopoly on halacha and there are countless opinions that could be considered in any ordinary halacha. Nonetheless, relaying the opinions of established authorities is not considered pesak, it’s just called finding the appropriate page to answer your question. In learning halacha, it’s clear that a person does not need Semicha or ordination in order to collect opinions on an issue and even to a certain extent find some conclusion. Nonetheless, it’s certainly not the job of Halachipedia to arbitrate between the major opinions of our day and all the more so to arbitrate between the authorities of old, but rather it’s to collect the relevant modern day opinions which are most widely accepted, organize them, and allow the public to gain significantly in Torah and halacha. Yehe Ratzon Milfanecha that all those who put effort into this site with a pure heart be blessed with continued success in learning, and merit to reap the benefit of their labor in the world to come. </p> | <p style="text-indent: 2em">Therefore, if someone asks whether I can light a fire on [[Shabbat]] I don’t need a posek I just tell him that it's forbidden, it’s obvious, it’s a פסוק in the Torah! Similarly, many opinions permit relaying the rulings of Shulchan Aruch as is because of how widely accepted the opinion of Shulchan Aruch has become. Similarly, the Mishna Brurah is one of the most widely accepted books among Ashkenazim, the Shulchan Aruch HaRav among Chasidim, and occasionally the Ben Ish Chai or Yalkut Yosef among Sephardim. Without a doubt each of the above do not have the a monopoly on halacha and there are countless opinions that could be considered in any ordinary halacha. Nonetheless, relaying the opinions of established authorities is not considered pesak, it’s just called finding the appropriate page to answer your question. In learning halacha, it’s clear that a person does not need Semicha or ordination in order to collect opinions on an issue and even to a certain extent find some conclusion. Nonetheless, it’s certainly not the job of Halachipedia to arbitrate between the major opinions of our day and all the more so to arbitrate between the authorities of old, but rather it’s to collect the relevant modern day opinions which are most widely accepted, organize them, and allow the public to gain significantly in Torah and halacha. Yehe Ratzon Milfanecha that all those who put effort into this site with a pure heart be blessed with continued success in learning, and merit to reap the benefit of their labor in the world to come. </p> | ||
==What’s acceptable for Halachipedia content?== | ==What’s acceptable for Halachipedia content?== | ||
