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Membership Agreement and Guidelines

It seems that the mechanism of a number of groups that want to have focused subjects and avoid certain types of flame wars is to e-mail to a subscriber candidate a list of rules for being in the group. If the candidate agrees to abide by the rules, then (s)he will then e-mail back agreement, at which point the candidate is put on the list.

Avodah is moderated, and focused on Torah topics. Areivim is a general discussion area for the Avodah crowd. It's a means of building a sense of chevrah amongst its members. So, posts that are not appropriate for Avodah because of topicality may be shifted by the moderator to Areivim.

Failure to abide by the rules can result in a warning by the list-owner, called in our parlance a "DNA", a Darchei No'am Alert. Consistant or gross non-compliance with the list guidelines may lead to termination of membership (chas v'shalom!).

As an overview: The parameters of "darchei noam" and the Rambam's Thirteen Principles of Belief (and/or The Ani Ma'amins and/or the Yigdal) are baseline standards for our discussion group. Discussions on Avodah and Areivim ought satisfy the question: Am I spending a lot of time on something will aid my Avodas and Yir'as Hashem (AYH)?

To expand:

1. The halachos of Lashon Hara should be considered before sending in any post. Remember, LH applies to groups as well as to individuals. We moderators have stopped a lot of LH from reaching the list, but we very obviously have not stopped enough. We will try harder but we need everyone to try harder as well. If you are not familiar with the laws of LH, then you should make it your business to learn them (an online resource is Project Genesis's "Halashon List at <http://www.torah.org/learning/halashon>).
2. No personal attacks: If you must err, err on the side of friendliness and civility.

   Use Hillel's simple rule of thumb: If it would insult you were you in their shoes, don't say it.

   No maligning others or their cherished opinions. Neither in a humorous way with with a complex reference intended to slyly denigrate; nor by saying that the opinion does not conform to any halachic standard or that it frightens you. That does not mean that you cannot respectfully disagree and then bring proofs why. Just question the person respectfully!

3. Blanket statements should be avoided as much as possible. They are usually incendiary and frequently LH.

   Examples: "Yeshiva bochurim are..." "Black people tend to..." "The MO like to..." "Liberals hate..." "Feminists believe..." "The Yeshiva world holds..."

   If you use a blanket statement then the moderators will assume that you have read and re-read your post carefully and determined that it is appropriate. Your words will then be judged by that higher standard. Similarly: Do not make disparaging comments about other segments of the Orthodox community. In addition to this being proper middos, it is critical if we are to maintain Avodah (including Areivim) as an interesting group to make people with a diverse variety of opinions all feel welcome.

   The overriding lesson is to always make your opinion clear without marginalizing another's opinion. If the other's opinion is in fact "dangerous," and you feel strongly that others are being led astray, let me know, and we may decide, after a cogent respectful exegesis of the sources, that perhaps it is necessary to slap a cautionary "questionable" label on the issue and move on to a new topic.

4. Avodah posts must must directly address the readers' Avodas veYir'as Hashem (AYH). Avodah focuses on the ideals and texts of Torah.

   Areivim, on the other hand, is more general discussion, the issues that affect our communities. The appropriate topics for Areivim include anything you believe would interest the group that does not negatively impact AYH.

   Humor (that is not directed at a person or his opinions) is appropriate for Areivim. Ridicule is a violation of the previous guidelines.

   Remember that email does not convey tone of voice. This leads to many misunderstandings in electronic fora. Therefore, judiciously use emotion indicators (such as ":-)" "<grin>" "<sigh>" and the like). Make sure people know when you're joking. Similarly, before taking insult at someone else's comment, reread his post trying to see if there is a tone of voice that yeilds a more charitable interpretation. Dan lekaf zechus..

5. Politics is rarely productive. Please try to avoid it. This includes Israeli, American, and even Australian politics.
6. The binding authority of halachah is a given (the definition of this authority is a broad one, and may be subject to discussion, but it is an absolutely Orthodox one!). That is, everything is open for debate except the legitimacy of halachah itself. Of course there will be disagreement about what halachah may require.

   Actively promoting a clearly non-Orthodox viewpoint is grounds for summary dismissal.

7. No translations are necessarily expected, as we would prefer to keep the discussions on high levels. From time to time, however, you may use uncommon phrases which it would be nice to translate! Towards the goals of this group, contributors are encouraged to keep up as high a level of discourse as possible.

   When you introduce a new acronym, please be sure to define it.

   If you do not recall a source for a statement, it is a productive use of the list to ask others for help. However, if you can locate the reference but it isn't handy, kindly postpone posting until you do.

8. We allow links to web sites, including articles and blogs, unless the page itself is inappropriate for the list (RW/MO fight, blatant LH, etc...) or the site:
   1. advocates a theology that is non-Orthodox, as determined by a consensus of the moderators or the list's posek, or
   2. consistently ridicules and/or uses sarcasm in a way that undermines one's belief in Yahadus and the mesorah, or
   3. contains immodest pictures, improper language or open discussions of immodest nature as determined by the moderators or the list's posek, or
   4. contains gossip or slander in a blatant or consistent manner
9. When quoting, conserve bandwidth -- people won't enter discussions that seem involved and lengthy. This includes:
   1. Do not post full articles to the list.
   2. Please do not link to other discussion groups. If you feel the discussion there may be of interest then summarize it. Otherwise, keep it offlist.
   3. People post to Areivim knowing that access is limited. Repeating an Areivim post is therefore inappropriate unless you first ask the author. Also, many of the posts on Avodah and Areivim do not represent the views of AishDas. Therefore, when referring to a post in a manner that mentions AishDas, including a URL to the Avodah archives, kindly ask the list management at <avodah-owner@aishdas.org> or <areivim-owner@aishdas.org> in addition to the author. Violating this rule could result in immediate dismissal ch"v.
10. Please do not repeat yourself over and over. Make your argument and leave it at that. You do not have to have the last word. No, you really don't. Stop arguing, I assure you that you do not.

    Also, it's safe to assume most of the chevrah remember your position from the last 20 times you stated it.

11. Moderation policy:
    Avodah is moderated entirely by myself (Micha Berger, <micha@aishdas.org>). Areivim has a board of 5 moderators, reachable at <areivim-owner@aishdas.org>. Posts appear on a web form for their consideration for rejection or acceptance. The first to handle the post will decide its fate, although the moderator could well choose to discuss questionable cases with the group.

    We will be consulting: a) with group members we see on a regular basis face-to-face; b) with a core group of "charter members" to ask their advice and counsel in maintaining group standards. Ejection from the list (again, chas v'shalom!) will only occur after such consultations. I ask that any other group member not hesitate to contact us with their concerns and suggestions.

If you your consent to these general guidelines, kindly fill out this form and I will gladly add you to our group. In the reply you will get instructions for setting up individual emails, or you can remain getting compiled digests. (You can select different settings for Avodah and Areivim, if you choose.) Please keep in mind that at times this is a fairly active group, and if you choose to receive individual messages you may average (between both Avodah and Areivim) 50 a day!