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Limmud 2014: Football, and how to stay religiously onside

December 29, 2014 12:34

By

Marcus Dysch,

Marcus Dysch

1 min read

For many British Jews, Shabbat leads them not to their nearest synagogue but to their favoured football stadium. But what do historic Jewish texts say about playing the beautiful game on the holiest days of the year?

Plenty, according to Alex Goldberg, presenter of When Shabbat Comes, a Limmud session looking at halachic approaches to soccer.

Mr Goldberg, who is training to become a rabbi, said there were Talmudic references to playing with a ball on Yom Tov. Citing the Shulchan Aruch - the code of Jewish law - he explained: "In the 19th century it said it was forbidden to play with a ball on Shabbat or Yom Tov.

"It was pre-association football, but it seems Jews were kicking around leather balls in Poland and Germany in the 15th century. The more you read, the more it seems it was a football."

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