*grins*

[debka_notion]

<lj user="jakal88"> just called to ask about whether or not one could play scrabble on shabbos.  We've never, ever played scrabble together.  I'll get the full story later, but well, just that he was thinking about that sort of thing (given our general differences in where we're coming from religiously) and that he called me to ask (always nice to feel useful, and to hear from him at random), was enough to give me a good grin... 

Comments

[tirerim.livejournal.com]

Now, it's just mean to give us a question like that without providing the answer.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Sorry- I totally wasn't thinking about that aspect of things. belu just pointed out the same thing- see the answer below...

Well...

[belu.livejournal.com]

Can you play scrabble on shabbos?

Re: Well...

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Yes, provided that it isn't the travel edition, which has little ridges to keep the letters in place, making them more permanent. (And of course, you can't write to keep score, but you can do that with a book and bookmarks.) At least, that's the answer I've been taught- I'm sure there are other people who rule differently, but...

Re: Well...

[tirerim.livejournal.com]

Interesting. So my deluxe edition, which also has ridges, would also be out. Is there a specific test that determines the level of permanency?

Re: Well...

[shirei-shibolim.livejournal.com]

I've been taught that too, but I wonder why it counts as writing when nobody is actually writing any letters. They're already written!

Re: Well...

[gimmelgirl.livejournal.com]

I've never heard the thing about the ridges; the melacha is about letters, and not words, and as you said, they're already written... we play Bananagrams all Shabbat! (no ridges, though)

Re: Well...

[skyblue-dreamer.livejournal.com]

I love Bananagrams!

Re: Well...

[belu.livejournal.com]

Huh. I suppose that goes to show how much I know about these things; I thought I remembered hearing from somewhere that it's fine provided that it is the travel edition, since the ridges keep the letters from touching and thus, you're not actually creating words.

Re: Well...

[masteraleph.livejournal.com]

There are also those who rule the opposite (well, at least for the deluxe edition, with the ridges, not sure about the travel one), since the ridges separate the letters, whereas in normal scrabble the letters are all together and ergo more wordlike. Of course, this ruling still lets you play scrabble, just the opposite way from everyone else...which is a distinctly halachic feature.

[taylweaver.livejournal.com]

Just to add my two cents, I have also heard that the ridges are an issue on scrabble boards. I wonder, though, whether the travel ridges are worse, since I think the pieces really snap into place, whereas they just fit into place in the deluxe version.

Oh, and another Shabbat way of keeping score: make a piece of paper with a tens column and a ones column, and use two paperclips to mark the place. (and maybe a third one along the bottom for hundreds. Or some sort of counter. But books and bookmarks work just fine.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

Or pull out an old abacus and do the same!

[outofnapkins.livejournal.com]

< to ask about whether or not one could play scrabble on shabbos >

Nay; one MUST play Scrabble on Shabbat.