The game of Bridge has been the preoccupation of my wife and I for most of our lives. We have taught Bridge, promoted Bridge and organized major Bridge tournaments around the world.
But now, Torah study plays a most important role in our family. So it's only natural that we note relationships between Bridge and Torah, which I share with our readers in honor of Shavuos, Holiday of the Torah. Some observations are more meaningful than others. But if something relates to Torah, how trivial can it be?
Of course, Bridge is just a game, while Torah is for real, but they are both intellectually stimulating, and follow a logical system. You have to use your head. After each bridge hand the players often argue about small details; whether one should have played the deuce or the three. It reminds me of the detailed arguments over a Rashi commentary if a particular Hebrew letter changes the meaning.
We arrive at Shavuos after 'counting the Omer,' each day of seven weeks since Passover. The counting of the days from Passover to Shavuos may be compared to the counting that bridge players do on every bridge deal. 'Counting the Omer' is literally a bridge between the Passover festival of physical freedom and Shavuos which gave us our spiritual freedom.
I also find the word "Omer" interesting. The most famous Bridge player is the movie actor Omar Sharif. Now, Omar is not Omer, but it almost sounds the same!
Bridge has 52 cards, and there are 52 weeks of the year when we read the Torah on Shabbos.
Now let's play a little low-level numerical Gematria. It takes exactly four players to play Bridge and there are precisely four names for the holiday of Shavuos: The Festival of Reaping (of wheat at this season), The Festival of Shavuos (the seven weeks counted), the Day of the Bikurim (first fruit), and Zeman Matan Toratenu, (when we received the Torah).
There are four suits in a deck of cards, and each suit, believe it or not, begins with a letter that represents an important aspect of Shavuos. Bridge: C = Clubs, D = Diamonds, H = Hearts, S = Spades. Shavout: C = Cheese, D = Dairy, H = Har, S = Sinai. Cheese is a favorite Shavuos food, when it is customary to eat a Dairy meal. H represents 'Har', meaning "mountain" in Hebrew. S, of course, is Sinai where we received the Torah.
Contract
The object of the game of bridge is to fulfill the contract you bought in the bidding. The object of the holiday of Shavuot is to fulfill the contract that we made with G-d at Sinai.
All Nighter
It is customary to stay up Shavuos night to study Torah. This may sound fanatical, but before becoming religious, I stayed up plenty of long nights to play bridge.
Ruth
At age 13, I first learned Bridge from a book written by Ruth Cohen. Now, on Shavuos I learn much more from a much better Book of Ruth (no relation, or maybe she is a relation).
Popularity
Unfortunately, bridge isn't currently the most popular card game (as it was some time ago). But it might make a comeback since it was added to the next Olympics. Shavuos, too, was once a highly revered festival, but has unfortunately lost popularity in some circles. Let's work so it regains prominence!
Enter!
When I went to the Israeli Consulate to apply for my Aliyah papers, I sported a mustache. Since most religious Jews wear beards rather than mustaches, the Israeli guard decided to test me (in case I was a terrorist in disguise) to see if I really was a religious Jew. He asked me: "What is the holiday of Shavuos?" He assumed I wouldn't know about this obscure, low profile holiday. I proudly answered: "It's the holiday we celebrate for receiving the Torah." "Enter," he said.
Now that I have a full long beard, a US customs official thought I looked suspicious recently when I was crossing the border from Mexico into Texas. He asked what I had been doing in Mexico. I answered, "I was in a bridge tournament." "Can you tell me who the Blue Team is?" I answered correctly: "The Blue Team is the name of the Italian world championship team." "Enter,"he said.
One day I'll be at the Gates of Heaven, and when the angel/guard, knowing I spent so much time on Bridge will ask me the entry question, "Did you study Torah?"
I may have the right answer. It wasn't all in vain, as I was able to relate the game of Bridge to Torah study in this Shavuos article.
Matthew Granovetter is editor of Bridge Today Magazine, and can be reached at Matt@bridgetoday.com.
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