Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2020 September 17

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September 17

Blowing the Shofar on erev Rosh Hashanah

It is a custom among the Ashkenazim to blow the Shofar each weekday morning at the end of the shacharit service, throughout the month of Elul. However, on erev Rosh Hashanah, one does not do so, in order to make a distinction between the customary blowing during the month of Elul and the obligatory blowing on Rosh Hashanah, and this also applies if erev Rosh Hashanah occurs on a Friday. However the "Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire" (popularly known as the "Singer's Prayer Book") states that if erev Rosh Hashanah occurs on a Friday, one does blow the Shofar. I cannot find a source for this which is brought in the Singer's Prayer Book. Can any user please let me know the source for this. Thank you. Simonschaim (talk) 08:54, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

Not sure if this helps, but I found The authorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew congregations of the British Empire (London, 1904). Alansplodge (talk) 16:43, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

Thank you Alansplodge. However this is the source where I found it, and I am searching for the source from where they took it. כתיבה וחתימה טובה Simonschaim (talk) 17:40, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

Ah yes. That makes sense. Sorry, no luck on that. Alansplodge (talk) 20:30, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

Not a source, but a possible reason for this exception. The point of not performing the customary Elul blowing on the eve of Rosh Hashanah is to create a hiatus to set the blowing of the shofar apart. The shofar would not be customarily sounded on a Shabbat, so if it is blown on Shabbat, that by itself already sets it apart from the customary blowing, and no hiatus is needed. In that case erev Rosh Hashanah falls on a Friday.  --Lambiam 21:16, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

Thank you. However, משנה ברורה brings in שער הציון that כיון שאומרים זכרון תרועה הוי כמו תקיעה. Simonschaim (talk) 11:46, 18 September 2020 (UTC)

US Wars

I have looked at List of US wars and have counted 118 wars that the USA has been involved in. I may have counted wrong, so please allow me some leeway either way. My question is; is this list comprehensive as I have heard that there is a place in the USA which has a list of each war the USA has been involved in and that there is a stone for each war and that these stones ring the hotel (?) several times. Where is this place, I believe it is on the east coast as I was told by someone who did a road trip from Florida to Canada up the east coast. In summary, how may wars has the USA been involved in and where is the aforementioned place. Thanks -- 11:11, 17 September 2020 86.186.232.90

1) Is a formal declaration necessary for something to count as a war? 2) How large a scale conflict is required? 3) Which conflicts count separately? Looking at that list, you could reduce it by quite a bit by just having one entry for "Cold War" and not the various portions thereof. --Khajidha (talk) 11:42, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

Same with the Indian Wars. Yeah, that list seems a little over enthusiastic; I was expecting to find War on drugs in there. Every tax protest is a war? Matt Deres (talk) 19:13, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

• Per Khajidha, what are your parameters for what would count as "a war"? First you need to define your parameters and terms, and then we can make a count of all of the events that meet that definition. --Jayron32 15:15, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

  The same question may be asked for our own List of US wars article. If we can find which place has the ring of stones, maybe we can figure out what definition they use.  --Lambiam 20:49, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

  Agreed, the article should have a clear definition. That or it should be retitled to List of US military engagements or something similar. I’m sure someone from the military history wikiproject will be interested in this question and they should probably be linked into any discussion at the start. 199.66.69.67 (talk) 22:16, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

  You could ask the good folks on WikiProject Military History to look at how the article defines its entries. They can be contacted on Wikipedia_talk : WikiProject_Military_history ---- LongHairedFop (talk) 08:19, 18 September 2020 (UTC)

A F Olden, Norwegian Peace Society

One A F Olden, described as Chairman of the Norwegian Peace Society, contributed the chapter "The Northern States and their relation to the European Situation" to Forbath, Alex, ed. (1938). Europe Into the Abyss: Behinds the scenes of Secret Politics. London: Pallas Publishing Co Ltd.. I would be interested to know more about A F Olden, and the Norwegian Peace Society. Thank you, DuncanHill (talk) 21:14, 17 September 2020 (UTC)

On a Google phrase search for "Norwegian Peace Society", the first hit is this page indicating it is another name for the Norwegian Peace Association. Their web site has no mention of Olden, though, and a search for his name together with their name in Norwegian finds nothing useful. One of the Norwegian-language Wikipedias has an article about the association, but it does not mention Olden either. --174.88.168.23 (talk) 06:53, 18 September 2020 (UTC)

Here one Ole Fredrik Olden is mentioned as affiliated with the Norges Fredslag (Norwegian Peace Association) and chairman of the Norges Fredsråd (Norwegian Peace Council). The Norwegian Wikipedia has a stubby article on Ole Fredrik Olden, which links to a slightly more detailed online biography (in Norwegian).  --Lambiam 07:43, 18 September 2020 (UTC)

@Lambiam: Thanks, that must be him. DuncanHill (talk) 21:33, 18 September 2020 (UTC)