Gamers keeping Shabbat
- Thread starter Highmoon
- Start date
MEG Hal
First Post
Bagel Golem said:
Now you know 2
And I would totally buy a d20 kippah.
If there is interest, I set up the times for demo's etc at the cons...we could have some at times that would benefit those who do practice a more orthodox version of the jewish faith. i would just need to make sure they are filled so we would have a full game.
Ravellion
serves Gnome Master
Wow!
Enlightening.
I know very little of the Jewish faith. The Netherlands used to have a large population of jews due to more or less being the first country to have some form of religious freedom in western Europe. After the horrors of WW2, a lot of jews emigrated as well. Now very few jews live in the Netherlands. Before I went to Brittain, I had met one jew in my entire life (though it might possibly be more, but the Netherlands has a culture of not discussing or displaying religion). Now I have met several in the last couple of months.
Anyway, what I was interested in (sorry for the highjack) is how detailed is the holy text, the Talmud? The previous poster already stated that it is not allowed to throw dice or move miniatures or write (or is it just tracking game related objects?) on Shabbat. I find this amount of detail amazing for such an ancient text (how old is it exactly anyway?)! How does the Talmud read? Is the message interwoven with stories like the bible, or is it more like legislation?
Just asking questions, not trying to offend anybody.
Rav
edit: Spelling
Enlightening.
I know very little of the Jewish faith. The Netherlands used to have a large population of jews due to more or less being the first country to have some form of religious freedom in western Europe. After the horrors of WW2, a lot of jews emigrated as well. Now very few jews live in the Netherlands. Before I went to Brittain, I had met one jew in my entire life (though it might possibly be more, but the Netherlands has a culture of not discussing or displaying religion). Now I have met several in the last couple of months.
Anyway, what I was interested in (sorry for the highjack) is how detailed is the holy text, the Talmud? The previous poster already stated that it is not allowed to throw dice or move miniatures or write (or is it just tracking game related objects?) on Shabbat. I find this amount of detail amazing for such an ancient text (how old is it exactly anyway?)! How does the Talmud read? Is the message interwoven with stories like the bible, or is it more like legislation?
Just asking questions, not trying to offend anybody.
Rav
edit: Spelling
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Alzrius
The EN World kitten
Its pretty hard to find a place that serves kosher meals in Japan. What I try to do is just keep the basic laws in mind when I buy and eat food. Of course, by basic, I mean just a couple, such as no pork, no meat and milk at the same time, etc. There's no way I could remember all 500+ laws at once. Its one of the perks of being Conservative; I don't have to take things too seriously (thats just a joke too, no offense to the Orthodox people here) 
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William Ronald
Explorer
Highmoon,
Now you know 3. (Working our way towards a minyan.)
I am a Reform Jew, so I do have less restrictions. However, I view Shabbat as a day of rest and peace. For example, while I do game and write, I try to do so in ways that do not constitute work for me. Fortunately, my group games on Saturday evenings. (I am usually at temple on Friday evenings.)
My advice is to follow the dictates of your faith and your conscience. If you need to, ask for advice.
I have seen at least one gamer with a kippah at Gen Con. So you should not feel uncomfortable. Most people at Gen Con are quite nice. (You could also attend a few good seminars during Shabbat.)
You might want to check out the information on Indianapolis at http://www.thedociverse.com. I seem to recall that there is a kosher deli fairly near the convention center. I hope to make the convention this year.
Rav, the Tanakh (Hebrew acronym for Bible, from Torah (the first five books), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings)) or Bible (Old Testament to Christians) is the holy book of Judaism. The Talmud (sometimes called Gemara) consists of sixty-three books of legal, ethical, spiritual, theological, ritual, and historical insight. It is the primary record of rabinic discussion from the fifth to seventh centure of the Current Era. (Abbreviated C.E.) It is a major source of study for Orthodox and Conservative Rabbis, and Orthodox Jewish religious law is largely based on decisions in the Talmud. The Midrash, composed at approximately the same time, has several commentaries on the Bible.
(Most faiths do have their own body of literature. Touching on gaming briefly, I imagine that in most fantasy worlds each faith would have their own attendant body of literature.)
I would love a d20 kippah. (I have seen Chicago Bulls kippahs, by the way.)
Shalom aleichem (Loosely translated "Peace unto you.")
Now you know 3. (Working our way towards a minyan.)
I am a Reform Jew, so I do have less restrictions. However, I view Shabbat as a day of rest and peace. For example, while I do game and write, I try to do so in ways that do not constitute work for me. Fortunately, my group games on Saturday evenings. (I am usually at temple on Friday evenings.)
My advice is to follow the dictates of your faith and your conscience. If you need to, ask for advice.
I have seen at least one gamer with a kippah at Gen Con. So you should not feel uncomfortable. Most people at Gen Con are quite nice. (You could also attend a few good seminars during Shabbat.)
You might want to check out the information on Indianapolis at http://www.thedociverse.com. I seem to recall that there is a kosher deli fairly near the convention center. I hope to make the convention this year.
Rav, the Tanakh (Hebrew acronym for Bible, from Torah (the first five books), Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings)) or Bible (Old Testament to Christians) is the holy book of Judaism. The Talmud (sometimes called Gemara) consists of sixty-three books of legal, ethical, spiritual, theological, ritual, and historical insight. It is the primary record of rabinic discussion from the fifth to seventh centure of the Current Era. (Abbreviated C.E.) It is a major source of study for Orthodox and Conservative Rabbis, and Orthodox Jewish religious law is largely based on decisions in the Talmud. The Midrash, composed at approximately the same time, has several commentaries on the Bible.
(Most faiths do have their own body of literature. Touching on gaming briefly, I imagine that in most fantasy worlds each faith would have their own attendant body of literature.)
I would love a d20 kippah. (I have seen Chicago Bulls kippahs, by the way.)
Shalom aleichem (Loosely translated "Peace unto you.")
mythago
Hero
The shamash.org link has a restaurant guide for places all over the world, updated weekly and searchable, FWIW. So you can all find kosher restaurants at GenCon!
So do we argue now about whether I count?
I doubt I'll make it to GenCon this year (though Mr. Mythago, who is pagan, might). But it would be very cool to get a minyan together one of these GenCons...
So do we argue now about whether I count?
I doubt I'll make it to GenCon this year (though Mr. Mythago, who is pagan, might). But it would be very cool to get a minyan together one of these GenCons...
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Sialia
First Post
The thing is, in my opinion, whether or not specifically prohibited by Jewish law, most gaming just doesn't feel Shabbastik.
That is, it's hard to hold the feeling of religious focus in your head when you are escaping yourself into another persona and pretending to do things like carrying, buying, selling, creating, killing, stealing, negotiating, and stuff like that.
I'm not strictly shomer Shabbat, but try to avoid situations that put me into conflict with the Shabbat rules. I wouldn't game on High Holidays, even if I had the opportunity and didn't have to break any rules to do it. Paying attention to the game would require not paying attention to the other thing I am supposed to be doing.
It's like talking on the cell phone while driving. Sure you can do it, but both the conversation and the driving suffer in quality. If you are trying to have an important conversation, or do difficult driving, one or the other has to go.
Both gaming and religious observance are important to me. Neither should be done on autopilot.
Rav, the Jewish laws are really are amazingly detailed. A lot of technology has changed since most of them were written, but the basic principles laid down, and the methodology used for resolving new issues, provide a framework which allows reasonable extrapolations about how to handle new things as they come up. Generally the extrapolating is left to highly trained scholars, much as secular legal disputes are best left to lawyers.
It may amuse you to note that one of the titles of respect used for these highly trained specialists, is "Rav."
That is, it's hard to hold the feeling of religious focus in your head when you are escaping yourself into another persona and pretending to do things like carrying, buying, selling, creating, killing, stealing, negotiating, and stuff like that.
I'm not strictly shomer Shabbat, but try to avoid situations that put me into conflict with the Shabbat rules. I wouldn't game on High Holidays, even if I had the opportunity and didn't have to break any rules to do it. Paying attention to the game would require not paying attention to the other thing I am supposed to be doing.
It's like talking on the cell phone while driving. Sure you can do it, but both the conversation and the driving suffer in quality. If you are trying to have an important conversation, or do difficult driving, one or the other has to go.
Both gaming and religious observance are important to me. Neither should be done on autopilot.
Rav, the Jewish laws are really are amazingly detailed. A lot of technology has changed since most of them were written, but the basic principles laid down, and the methodology used for resolving new issues, provide a framework which allows reasonable extrapolations about how to handle new things as they come up. Generally the extrapolating is left to highly trained scholars, much as secular legal disputes are best left to lawyers.
It may amuse you to note that one of the titles of respect used for these highly trained specialists, is "Rav."
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