ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that there is a fundamental foundation of play and game systems at the heart of Jewish literature and learning. Games can sometimes have narratives, but games always have rules; halacha, or Jewish religious law, is an evolving rule-based system. Examining the Talmud and Talmud study can allow for the clearest illustration of the connection between Jewish tradition and game systems. Traditional modes of Talmud study preserve the social practices of debate and problem solving as a means of learning. Some of the rhetoric in the progressive Jewish community in North America emphasizes fear and concern regarding video games and digital technology. The chapter argues that not only does play within rabbinic texts fit the model of the Carsian infinite game but that so does hevruta, the traditional processes of learning and studying sacred texts in pairs. The chapter examines contemporary and nascent interventions in games and simulations for Jewish learning, centered on investment by the Covenant Foundation.
