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Comments on Divrei Torah Category
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Divrei Torah Category
It's been previously suggested to create a Divrei Torah category. With Elul coming up I'm sure there's lots that the community has to share — should we create this forum in which people can do so?
The idea, if implemented, is to create a new category, alongside our current Q&A, Challenges, and Meta categories, in which community members could post their own novel Torah thoughts, or share Divrei Torah which they heard and felt should (and could!) be shared.
- What types of themes are acceptable to discuss? Should any topic considered in-scope for questions be in-scope for posing Divrei Torah?1
- In the previous discussion it was taken for granted that such a Category would be for Articles. Should this be the proper implementation of it, where people could post their own Divrei Torah as Articles, and people can respond in its comments? Or should it be written as a Question-type post, in which people have the option to write counter-Divrei Torah in the Answers to amicably respond to the original piece?
- Currently we have the Weekly Topic Challenge ongoing. Should this be extended that the Theme of the Week would encompass both Questions on the topic as well as Divrei Torah thereon?
- Should we include a rotation, on a volunteer basis, for people to submit Divrei Torah on the coming Parsha/Yom Tov?
- Any other suggestions on how the Category should be set up?
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Please note that the CYLOR policy would extend to Divrei Torah as well. Just like we don't accept questions asking for halachic advice, we would not accept posts constructed as platforms for their poster to spread their halachic advice. Discussing others' halachic opinions, however, would be entirely allowed, if the community agrees. ↩
I think we should reserve this category explicitly for original writing by community members. Some people might be inter …
3y ago
We need to think carefully about editorial standards and process. We don't want to become a platform for people to post …
3y ago
Summary of Proposals The consensus seems to be strongly in favor of pursuing this idea, so long as there's strong qua …
3y ago
I like the idea of divrei torah prompting "response" divrei torah. If we make the original d'var torah a question and u …
3y ago
On the question of quality control, I'm much more in favor of a passive approach over an active one. You might consider …
3y ago
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I think we should reserve this category explicitly for original writing by community members. Some people might be interested in republishing pieces that they've read elsewhere, but I see little value in our providing a forum for such republication. In addition, of course, such republication without license could constitute a violation of copyright or ethics.
Of course, citation and limited quotation of prior work, within reason, is often (perhaps always, when it comes to Torah!) a useful foundation for our own writing. I'm not suggesting we not do that.
Beyond not republishing others' writing, I think we should go so far as to emphasize original work in the writing we do present. That is, while it's certainly worthwhile, in an absolute sense, to simply teach what Rashi has to say about a particular verse, and there's certainly no copyright problem there, I don't think that our forum and community creates a great deal of value with that sort of simple re-transmission. Instead, I think we should try to host divrei Torah that present original work by our community members, such as a community member's own:
- Novel analysis of issues or sources.
- Novel application of an existing source to a new situation or context.
- Novel integration of existing sources.
- Translation of a classic source that isn't already available in English [online].
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