Halachot and Customs
Is It Permitted to Play Ping Pong on Shabbat?
Question
Hello Rabbi, is it permitted to play ping pong with the children on Shabbat?
Thank you for the answer.
Answer
Hello,
According to Sephardi custom, adults may not play ping pong on Shabbat, and only children below the age of chinuch may be permitted to do so (see Chazon Ovadia, Shabbat, part 3, pages 99-101).
According to Ashkenazi custom, in principle it is permitted for adults as well to play ping pong on Shabbat, but it is nevertheless preferable to refrain from doing so, because it is not appropriate for the sanctity of Shabbat (see Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata, part 1, chapter 16, sections 1 and 6, and She'eilat Uteshuvot Nishmat Shabbat, part 6, siman 418).
With blessing,
Hillel Meirs
