The village of Kahal and the Avodai are heavily inspired by Jewish folklore and cultures. If you want to learn more you can take a look at the bibliography that we are composing (link forthcoming).

We wrote the Avodai culture to feel deeply Jewish, while different enough that non-Jews can fully roleplay and build upon it without appropriating Jewish tradition. We created this game for everyone to enjoy, regardless of cultural background or roleplaying experience. Because so much fantasy is built from Christian European culture, we wanted to create a new approach to fantasy from our own cultural framework, inspired by the many game creators and authors who have done the same. 

Judaism is not our only explicit inspiration. We also integrated elements of Shintoism from Hayao Miyazaki’s films, the feel of our favorite slice of life shows and comics, and small pieces from Islam, Buddhism, and other religious traditions.

We invite you into Kahal and to fully partake in Society of Rafa and Kahal.  #

There are only two main facts about Judaism that players need to know prior to playing Society of Rafa:

Judaism is an interpretive and legal tradition. #

What does an interpretative and legal tradition mean for Jews? Jews study and debate the meaning of the Tanakh (Hebrew scriptures) and Jewish law. We write stories to fill in the blanks of the Torah (Five Books of Moses). Our texts record the debates between Rabbis about Jewish law, which we build on over generations. A common phrase is “where there are two Jews, there are three opinions.”

We built this interpretive tradition into both Avodai culture and the very structure of the game. There is no singular, “correct” solution to the moral dilemmas or interpretation of the Spirits you will meet. The Book of Spirits is purposely ambiguous to enable a range of stories to be told, not a bestiary of completely reliable fact. Townspeople are similarly diverse, with characteristics that are both positive and negative. You are encouraged to add to all the materials, especially the Book of Spirits and Medical Records as you create your version of Kahal.

Tikkun Olam: Repairing the World #

Secondly, Jews believe it is every person’s duty to repair and improve the world through our everyday actions. This concept is called Tikkun Olam. Society of Rafa is our small way of helping people reimagine a better world through the stories we create together and empathetic play. 

Repairing the world is a core aspect of the Avodai belief system. The Avodai’s four core precepts are the following:

1. Tend to the light of life in all creatures, therefore do not desecrate the life of any creature
2. Pursue wisdom and knowledge. Let not falsehood and slander come from your lips
3. Keep Zabbah holy and as a day of rest
4. Give thanks and praise the Light in the morning and evening, for the Light is the eternal fount of life

Guidelines #

We ask you to follow these simple guidelines:

1. AVOID playing into antisemitic tropes, such as:
   1. “The Avodai actually deserve their persecution.”
   2. “The Avodai are greedy or stingy.”
   3. “The Avodai secretly control world politics or business.”
   4. “The Avoidai perform secret murderous rituals, like the blood libel.”
2. AVOID conflating knowledge of Society of Rafa with understanding Judaism or taking part in that religion. This is a work of fiction, so while similarities are purposeful they should not be confused with direct knowledge of a world religion.
3. DO bring your own culture, experiences, and folklore to play, but please AVOID bringing in explicitly Christian traditions into Avodai rituals.
4. You DO NOT need to remember all the details in the lore or know all the inspiration. What you bring into play is correct even if it contradicts what is written in this book, which itself sometimes differs from what is historical. Most Jewish players will not know all the references. We played with a group of highly educated and engaged Jews and they did not know Estries were from Jewish folklore. 
5. DO have fun! Every Circle will create its own version of Kahal and the Avodai. Follow “the rule of cool” and let yourself explore creative freedom.