May One Play Rummikub on Shabbos?

Rav Osher Weiss discusses playing Rummikub on Shabbos. In the game, each player has several numbered tiles. At certain points in the game, a player selects specific tiles needed to create a pattern or to add onto a pre-existing pattern. This is permitted, as it is considered removing ochel (food) from pesoles (waste) for immediate use. However, at other points in the game, a player may discard tiles they do not need, which raises the question of whether this constitutes separating pesoles from ochel.

Rav Osher Weiss is lenient and permits this for the following reasons:

1. Tiles of the Same Min: All of the tiles are considered to be of the same min (type), and according to the Rama in se’if gimmel, there is no issue of borer (separating) when dealing with a set of objects of the same min.
2. Discarding Unwanted Tiles: Discarding unwanted tiles is not considered removing pesoles from ochel because it is part of the game. Since all the tiles are considered ochel, even the act of discarding a tile is viewed as selecting ochel from ochel.
3. Purpose of Borer: An act of borer must have a specific purpose and use. However, if the activity is only for fun, as in the case of the game, it is not considered borer.

Despite these reasons, Rav Osher Weiss writes that he is not confident enough to pasken (rule) on this issue as halachah. However, Shabbos K’halachah rules leniently on playing Rummikub for the reasons mentioned above.

Similar Case – Chess
Poskim explain that there is no issue of borer on Shabbos when playing chess, even though one removes the pieces captured by the opponent, for the same reasons cited by Rav Osher Weiss.

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Sources:

1. See discussion in Shabbos K’halachah 12:120-124.
2. Minchas Asher [Shabbos, Teshuva 6 p. 327].
3. He adds that the Maharshag 1:54 holds that there is no borer on an item that will not remain separated. Therefore, since the tiles will be remixed together, separating them initially is not prohibited.
4. See discussion in Shabbos K’halachah 12:124 and 12n233.
5. Rav Osher Weiss considers all of the game pieces to be like different pieces of a chicken, such as the thigh and leg. Just like the Mishnah Berurah [319:15] considers chicken pieces to be one min, so too are game pieces.
6. See Minchas Shlomo 2:21:3, Chut Shani Derech Meleches Borer 7:7, Avnei Yashfei 8:74:1.