User:Davidbena
Wikipedia:Babel | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
Search user languages |
Wikipedia's Online Encyclopedia is unique in that it enables editors from all over the world to contribute in the systematic outline and documentation of important subject matters, by virtue of their special access to academic sources, and to make this information available to all persons around the globe. What was previously available to a select few in select universities and libraries, or to a select few based on their own language skills, can now be accessed by all through the medium of a computer with a link to Wikipedia. This service is unique in our generation, and its importance cannot be overstressed. Wikipedia has revolutionised access to information. There is no single library with all the books in the world, but this venue (Wikipedia) enables us to treat on subjects contained in all books found in libraries scattered throughout the entire world, thanks largely to its wide-range of contributors. Knowledge has now become widespread.
A scholar once wrote: "Literature... depends heavily on credibility. If a text has passed through the professional hands of the author, editor, publisher, and bookseller, the readers will assume with good reason that the editorial frame and, in particular, the alleged authorship is accurate." - D. Trobisch. This does not negate, however, how that we, as editors, ought to be truthful in our reporting. Maimonides, the famous Jewish Rabbi and philosopher, once wrote in his Epistle to Yemen (ch. xiv): “Do not consider a statement true because you find it in a book, for the prevaricator is as little restrained with his pen as with his tongue. For the untutored and uninstructed are convinced of the veracity of a statement by the mere fact that it is written; nevertheless its accuracy must be demonstrated in another manner.”
One of my favorite pastimes is writing. The professional skills required for good writing are in building a good vocabulary, or, as some may call it, becoming a "wordsmith." Reading many books, and becoming acquainted with the styles of other authors definitely helps. Hopefully, my modest contribution here, on Wikipedia, will be a worthwhile one and will bring some sense of satisfaction to our readers.
Another thing to remember here is that "popular opinions are not always the accurate opinion," and not everything that is "mainstream" is scientifically supported. Therefore, we must sometimes take things with a
I will also remind our readers here that the age of a book's publication makes little or no difference, so long as the information provided is accurate. The key here is accuracy.
In many of my articles published here on Wikipedia, I often make use of Hebrew quotes taken from reliable Hebrew sources not readily available to our English readers, but which I am careful to add thereto an English translation of the Hebrew text, as well as expanded explanatory notes in the references cited. Two articles created by me, Erich Brauer and Beit She'arim (Roman-era Jewish village), appear under the names of different users because of an earlier "Redirect" under those same titles, and which I was unaware of at the time. I have also helped to improve articles started by others, all for the good of this worthy project. A sampling of such articles are as follows:
- Adullam
- Azekah
- Bayt Nattif
- City of David (archaeological site)
- Copper Scroll
- Dina d'malkhuta dina
- Eduard Glaser
- Evil inclination
- Generations of Noah
- Hebraization of Palestinian place names
- Horvat 'Ethri
- Kermes (dye)
- Kil'ayim (prohibition)
- Megillat Taanit
- Niddah
- Operation Ha-Har
- Ottoman Land Code of 1858
- Qadad
- Saadia Gaon
- Seder Olam Rabbah
- Targum Onkelos
- Tell ej-Judeideh
- Tithes in Judaism
- Usucaption
- Yemenite Hebrew
- Yemenite Jews
- Yemenite silversmithing, among others.
My WP work
My contributions (pages created) here on Wikipedia chiefly involve content related to the following areas, among others:
- Historical geography (of the Land of Israel)
- (WP:Israel/Books, etc.)
- (
- Yemenite Jewry
- Ancient Jewish history and customs
- (, etc.)
- Jewish concepts
- Flora of Israel
- Archaeological discoveries
- (Paleo-Hebrew Leviticus scroll, etc.)
- (
- Explorers of Near Eastern cultures and society
- Classical works
- (Vatican Hebrew MS. 133, etc.)
- (
- Food and Material culture
- Rabbinic scholars
- Hebrew Bibles
- (Damascus Pentateuch, Al-Ousta Codex, Damascus Crown, etc.)
- Hebrew-language academic journals
- (Zion (journal); Tarbiz, Sefunot (journal), etc.)
- Miscellaneous
"No one is so poor as he who lacks knowledge!" - Babylonian Talmud, Nedarim 41a
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
- Templates • Template help
- Article tags: {{}}
- Section tags: {{ref improve section}} • {{unreferenced section}} • {{trivia}}
- Section tags: {{
- Inline tags: whom?}}
- Inline tags:
Useful links
|
---|
|
Things that every Wikipedian should know about
- Automatic reference generator for Google Books.
- Wikipedia Reference Search- a Google search that only returns sites vetted by Wikipedians.
- Wikipedia:Citing sources
- Interwiki linking
International Travels
Spent years: | (Israel) (USA) (Germany) (Yemen) |
Months to Days: | (Canada) (France) (Cyprus) (Lebanon) (Syria) (Jordan) |
Hours: | (Italy) (Saudi-Arabia) (Netherlands) (Luxembourg) (Czechoslovakia) |
To go some day: | (China) (Laos) (Vietnam) (United Kingdom) |
Idea and layout borrowed from User:Guettarda who borrowed it from User:Coolcat (who calls himself User:とある白い猫 these days) |
Wiki Tools
<ref name="">{{cite news | last = | first = | coauthors = | title = | work = | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = | url = | accessdate = }}</ref>
<ref name="">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = | work = | publisher = | date = | url = | format = | doi = | accessdate = }}</ref>
<ref name="">{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = | publisher = | date = | location = | pages = | url = | doi = | id = }}</ref>