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Manual of StyleThe manual of style for the Judaism WikiProject. (edit) (back to top) | |
The WikiProject Judaism style guide is intended to provide recommendations regarding the content and structure of articles within the scope of the project, as a supplement to the Wikipedia Manual of Style.
Thus sentences currently saying something like "adherents of this faith believe X, but this has been disproved by historians" should instead say something like "adherents of this faith believe X; most critical historians believe Y". As well, back and forth debate in every sentence of a paragraph is tiresome; it is stylistically preferred to present the two points of view in separate sections, or at least separate paragraphs, each one advancing the opposing thesis.
Working with specific biblical versesWhen working with biblical text its important to understand that Judaism includes a wide variety of interpretive traditions – some in common with Christianity and some quite different. A balanced interpretation should include insights (where available) from the following sources:
While it is understandable that some Jewish editors might feel uncomfortable about actively writing paragraphs based on strictly Christian sources, WP:NPOV does require that we respect the viewpoints of established religious traditions. Thus, we all need to at least be aware of what counts as reliable sources within other religious traditions that consider the bible one of the canonical texts.
Articles on biblical termsNote: Some usages state "biblical" as Biblical as in Bible. When an article explicates a specific term rather than a specific verse (such as tzedaka), it is important to make sure we consider all biblical uses, not just one or two verses. Both modern and traditional secondary sources often focus on specific verses and so omit the broad picture. This can result in an unbalanced article. To verify that all uses of the term have been included, it is a good idea to check a Hebrew concordance (such as Evan-Shoshan's "A New Concordance of the Bible", or the AlHatorah online concordance/dictionary). The first part of each Even-Shoshan entry may be especially helpful because it lists (in dictionary fashion) all the definitions of the term along with all the citations that exemplify it. It can also be difficult to interpret a word that appears in only a few verses. In such cases those with traditional yeshiva educations may be accustomed to relying on Rashi for a primary definition. It is important to realize that Rashi's interpretations are sometimes disputed in Medieval sources: compare, for example, Rashi and Ibn Ezra's exegesis of the word b'reshit. To the extent that an article needs to capture how medieval Jewish commentators saw the text, the view points of all recognized medieval Jewish commentators are necessary. Any other reliable Torah source may also be used. Modern critical techniques expect one to consider definitions of the word in languages which influenced Hebrew (for example, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Hittite, and Phoenician). " The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew English Lexicon" (commonly known as the "BDB") is another important reference for this purpose. It provides information on the etymology of each word alongside a list of definitions and some sample citation. The list of citations may not be complete so one will generally need to check both the BDB and a concordance. The AlHatorah online concordance/dictionary is similar to BDB but more accessible. For first time users, sources like Evan-Shoshan and BDB can be a bit confusing. If you are interested in using these sources and need help, please leave a message on the WikiProject Judaism talk page. Someone will be happy to help you find your way around these resources. Please be patient though – if you are meet with silence it may just mean that the editors best able to help you are on a wiki break. Articles on halachic topicsSome of our articles may pick only one classical rabbinic POV, and present it as the only classical rabbinic POV. This happened in the articles on the 613 mitzvot and Korban. When discussing the views of the classical rabbis strive to also present the full array of views within classical rabbinic literature.
Many articles on Jewish topics exist side-by-side with articles on Christian views on the same topics. Here are some issues to consider, in responding to and standardizing articles relating to Torah, Tanakh and "Scripture" etc.:
The following is a sample article introduction: Sukkot (Succos) is one of the most important Jewish holidays in Judaism. During this holiday, Jews traditionally enjoy their meals in a sukka, and shake a lulav and etrog during morning prayers. The word being defined should be the first word in the article and should be bold. If it is a Hebrew word, it should also be italicized, but not capitalized. The first sentence should be a summary of the word and should contain a link to Judaism. Article titles may be in either Israeli or Ashkenazi transcription. Whichever transcription method was used to start the article remains the title of the article, and the other transcriptions should be redirected to the article.
The following is a sample sentence which includes Jewish terms:
Whenever a Hebrew term is first used in an article, it should be rendered in English followed by a parenthesis containing two transliterations of the Hebrew word: One in an Israeli Sefardi transliteration and one in the Artscroll transliteration. The order of the transliterations is left to the writer. Subsequently, either transliteration may be used in the article. The first two transliterations should be links. All transliterations should be italicized, and should not use capitals (except for proper nouns). Hebrew usageFor important guidelines see: and the discussions at Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Hebrew).
Italics should be used when referring to books, e.g. Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah; conversely when referring to a central religious work in generic terms, e.g. the Bible or the Talmud, references should not be italicsed. However, when referring to a specific version or edition, it should be italicised, e.g. The Jerusalem Bible. |
Main | Discussion Board | Members | Article Assessment | Templates | Categories | Resources | Manual of Style | To do | New Articles | Articles for Deletion | Sister Projects | Watchlist |
Manual of StyleThe manual of style for the Judaism WikiProject. (edit) (back to top) | |
The WikiProject Judaism style guide is intended to provide recommendations regarding the content and structure of articles within the scope of the project, as a supplement to the Wikipedia Manual of Style.
Thus sentences currently saying something like "adherents of this faith believe X, but this has been disproved by historians" should instead say something like "adherents of this faith believe X; most critical historians believe Y". As well, back and forth debate in every sentence of a paragraph is tiresome; it is stylistically preferred to present the two points of view in separate sections, or at least separate paragraphs, each one advancing the opposing thesis.
Working with specific biblical versesWhen working with biblical text its important to understand that Judaism includes a wide variety of interpretive traditions – some in common with Christianity and some quite different. A balanced interpretation should include insights (where available) from the following sources:
While it is understandable that some Jewish editors might feel uncomfortable about actively writing paragraphs based on strictly Christian sources, WP:NPOV does require that we respect the viewpoints of established religious traditions. Thus, we all need to at least be aware of what counts as reliable sources within other religious traditions that consider the bible one of the canonical texts.
Articles on biblical termsNote: Some usages state "biblical" as Biblical as in Bible. When an article explicates a specific term rather than a specific verse (such as tzedaka), it is important to make sure we consider all biblical uses, not just one or two verses. Both modern and traditional secondary sources often focus on specific verses and so omit the broad picture. This can result in an unbalanced article. To verify that all uses of the term have been included, it is a good idea to check a Hebrew concordance (such as Evan-Shoshan's "A New Concordance of the Bible", or the AlHatorah online concordance/dictionary). The first part of each Even-Shoshan entry may be especially helpful because it lists (in dictionary fashion) all the definitions of the term along with all the citations that exemplify it. It can also be difficult to interpret a word that appears in only a few verses. In such cases those with traditional yeshiva educations may be accustomed to relying on Rashi for a primary definition. It is important to realize that Rashi's interpretations are sometimes disputed in Medieval sources: compare, for example, Rashi and Ibn Ezra's exegesis of the word b'reshit. To the extent that an article needs to capture how medieval Jewish commentators saw the text, the view points of all recognized medieval Jewish commentators are necessary. Any other reliable Torah source may also be used. Modern critical techniques expect one to consider definitions of the word in languages which influenced Hebrew (for example, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Hittite, and Phoenician). " The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew English Lexicon" (commonly known as the "BDB") is another important reference for this purpose. It provides information on the etymology of each word alongside a list of definitions and some sample citation. The list of citations may not be complete so one will generally need to check both the BDB and a concordance. The AlHatorah online concordance/dictionary is similar to BDB but more accessible. For first time users, sources like Evan-Shoshan and BDB can be a bit confusing. If you are interested in using these sources and need help, please leave a message on the WikiProject Judaism talk page. Someone will be happy to help you find your way around these resources. Please be patient though – if you are meet with silence it may just mean that the editors best able to help you are on a wiki break. Articles on halachic topicsSome of our articles may pick only one classical rabbinic POV, and present it as the only classical rabbinic POV. This happened in the articles on the 613 mitzvot and Korban. When discussing the views of the classical rabbis strive to also present the full array of views within classical rabbinic literature.
Many articles on Jewish topics exist side-by-side with articles on Christian views on the same topics. Here are some issues to consider, in responding to and standardizing articles relating to Torah, Tanakh and "Scripture" etc.:
The following is a sample article introduction: Sukkot (Succos) is one of the most important Jewish holidays in Judaism. During this holiday, Jews traditionally enjoy their meals in a sukka, and shake a lulav and etrog during morning prayers. The word being defined should be the first word in the article and should be bold. If it is a Hebrew word, it should also be italicized, but not capitalized. The first sentence should be a summary of the word and should contain a link to Judaism. Article titles may be in either Israeli or Ashkenazi transcription. Whichever transcription method was used to start the article remains the title of the article, and the other transcriptions should be redirected to the article.
The following is a sample sentence which includes Jewish terms:
Whenever a Hebrew term is first used in an article, it should be rendered in English followed by a parenthesis containing two transliterations of the Hebrew word: One in an Israeli Sefardi transliteration and one in the Artscroll transliteration. The order of the transliterations is left to the writer. Subsequently, either transliteration may be used in the article. The first two transliterations should be links. All transliterations should be italicized, and should not use capitals (except for proper nouns). Hebrew usageFor important guidelines see: and the discussions at Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Hebrew).
Italics should be used when referring to books, e.g. Shulchan Aruch, Mishnah Berurah; conversely when referring to a central religious work in generic terms, e.g. the Bible or the Talmud, references should not be italicsed. However, when referring to a specific version or edition, it should be italicised, e.g. The Jerusalem Bible. |