Dungeons and Golems.

Years ago when I played Dungeons and dragons, I wondered whether it was possible for a good fantasy role playing game to have a serious Jewish flavor. I thought about a fantasy universe where heroes went out to kill monsters but also rested on the Sabbath, set time aside for prayer and study, and tried to decide when Pikuach Nefesh issues (surely much more common in FRPG than most people’s real lives) should override halacha.

It may be quite impossible to create a satisfying FRPG along these lines, and maybe that’s a good thing. I still wonder though.

Counting to Ten

There are various methods of counting to see whether there are ten, but I'm fascinated by the idea of using visual glimpses to count rapidly. With a little practice you will instantly recognize the shape of a group of 3, 4 or 5, and can add the group totals instantly. But if you start young you might learn to recognize larger groups at a glance - six, eight or even ten at once. I'm sorry I did try to learn this skill when I was young.

One Shabbat morning we sat around for fifteen minutes waiting for a tenth to arrive. Suddenly we realized that we were already ten; we had miscounted.

Promotion?

Our small shul has not been blessed with many Leviim lately. After the first Aliyah today, the Gabbai looked once again at the small group of familiar faces and said hopelessly, "Is anyone a Levy?" I think he should have asked: "Has anyone become a Levy?"