Gamers keeping Shabbat

[HalWhitewyrm]

To reply to two posts by Sialia...

Actually, gmaing did help me to understand the Talmud better, once. I had always heard that scholars were capable of reading and even memorizing the entire Talmud, and, I admit, I was sceptical about that. [SNIP]
And then there was one day that Bandeeto and Piratecat and Sagiro sat down to discuss some fine point of D&D rules lawyering. If you've ever sat in on a Talmudic discussion, or read one, it was remarkably familiar looking. [SNIP]
And what I realized is, certain types of brains really do love to memorize vast, compex sets of interacting logic. For fun. Because it is a delight.

Exactly. When my rabbi told me that studying Torah and Talmud (and all the related works) would be long hours of study, I think he thought I was being cute when I said "Bring it on!" I am an English Lit graduate who had to be told to go home by his advising professor, plus a gamer of 15 years used to reading large volumes of rules and figuring out how to apply them in a variety of ways. Judaism was just made for me.

Mind you, if we were at Gencon hanging out together (unlikely that I will be able to travel this summer, but it's bound to happen eventually), and the parsha lent itself to it, I would have no objection to, say, viewing a schematic of the walls of Jericho and considering the strategic problems of attack and defense . . .

I'll have to remember that and see when that haftarah comes around, see if I am at a Con that Shabbat.

 

[Alzrius]

Anyway, the point is, that they sat there and cited chapter and verse of three editions of Dungeons and Dragons, PHBs, DMGs, auxiliary supplements, Dragon magazine articles, Tolkien and I-can't-remember-what-all-else for about two hours. With page numbers. I mean, they could quote chapters and often page numbers from memory, without having to pull the books off the shelves to look them up. They bickered over the interpretations, and corrected each other's citations.

If you've ever sat in on a Talmudic discussion, or read one, it was remarkably familiar looking.

And what I realized is, certain types of brains really do love to memorize vast, compex sets of interacting logic. For fun. Because it is a delight.

Man do I know what that's like. I was once explaining to my local Rabbi's kids the differences in the various canonities of Sailor Moon (which I think is great anime and manga), not realizing he overheard me. He later mentioned the conversation to my mother, saying I would have been an incredible Talmud scholar if I had gotten started in the religion earlier. She promptly had guilt pangs, since she is a Jewish mother after all.

 

[mythago]

Hal, in Orthodox tradition only men count in a minyan. But then you have the problem Sialla mentioned.

Anyway, the point is, that they sat there and cited chapter and verse of three editions of Dungeons and Dragons, PHBs, DMGs, auxiliary supplements, Dragon magazine articles, Tolkien and I-can't-remember-what-all-else for about two hours. With page numbers. I mean, they could quote chapters and often page numbers from memory, without having to pull the books off the shelves to look them up. They bickered over the interpretations, and corrected each other's citations.

"And it was for this that GM Bandeeto was thrown out of the House of Study."

 

[heirodule]

Re: Re: Fascinating

You could move pieces on a gaming table, but you're not allowed to own miniatures at any time, not just on Shabbat. Cardboard Heroes are fine, but miniatures such as Reapers are forbidden.

I'm not a rabbi, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about all this.

Bagel Golem

You can't own miniatures? Because of the law against graven and molten images or somethign else? Can miniatures made by other processes (stamping? fimo?) be owned?

Is it the way they ar emade, or the fact that they are 3D? No statuary in general is allowed?

Paul Heirodule Weblog

 

[Craer]

I really think it's great that D&D can bring people together like this. I myself am a reform jew, and I honestly had no idea there were so many jewish gamers on the boards. As for keeping the sabbath, it doesn't really come into play for me. I game on friday night, and almost all day saturday. As others have mentioned, there is no question as to whether I game on high holy days. I don't really consider gaming to be work, though. I've come to accept my relation with my religion on a more personal basis, which works out nicely. Shalom to all of you. In a wierd way, I'm very proud of you all.

-Craer

 

[Jeph]

Hey, mark me down for a d20 yarmulke!

Well . . . nevermind. I don't have any way of getting the payment to Paladin&PWife.

I, too, had no idea that there are so many jewish gamers (aside from the fact that 3 out of 5 in my group are Jewish)! I wonder if we could get d20 dice with the numbers in hebrew? That would be sweet!

 

[Paladin]

Hey, mark me down for a d20 yarmulke!

Well . . . nevermind. I don't have any way of getting the payment to Paladin&PWife.

If you have the ability to send a money order or personal check, you can pay us.

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

How much will the d20 kippahs will be, more or less? I wanna know how many I can get.
Also, I know of a few people in Miami who may be interested in these kippahs as well, so let me check.

 

[Jeph]

If you have the ability to send a money order or personal check, you can pay us.

The thing is, I don't. I'm only 14, as of 3 days ago, and don't have complete control over my personal funds.

 

[MEG Hal]

The thing is, I don't. I'm only 14, as of 3 days ago, and don't have complete control over my personal funds.

If I wanted to buy a kippah at age 14 I think my mom would of passed out and then paid for it!