Shliach Creates ‘Let’s Farbreng!’ Board Game

Rabbi Peretz Chein, the Shliach to Brandeis University, designed a board game called Let’s Farbreng! which offers players the immersive experience of a Farbrengen.

The game is a response to “…the calling, amplified by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to spread the wellsprings of Chassidic teachings, of which a Farbrengen is a cornerstone,” as Rabbi Chein wrote in a paper titled The Pedagogy of Farbrengen, detailing its theory and practice, and from which the game emerged.

It is also intended for Chabad men and women, who experience “Farbrengens that are more akin to inspirational speeches,” and whose “Farbrengen’s spiritual potency goes untapped,” he adds.

After writing the paper he developed the game as a resource to help people access and engage with the ideas presented in his work. Using a cardboard box and a Rubik’s Cube, and with the assistance of three students who were at the Chabad House for their weekly Torah learning, they created the first prototype and played the game.

The enthusiasm from students and others, many of whom were experiencing a Farbrengen for the first time, inspired him to partner with a game production company to bring Let’s Farbreng! to a wider audience.

Prototypes of the game have already been produced and played by various groups, including people experiencing a Farbrengen for the first time and seasoned Farbrengeners.

These groups include Brandeis students and alumni, a Chabad community shul, Boston community women, and staff of a major Jewish organization which engages hundreds of thousands of young adults regularly.

At one event, multiple Farbrengen games were played simultaneously, eventually merging into a large community Farbrengen that continued into the night.

The game is soon going into limited production and will be available in September.

To read the paper that inspired “Let’s Farbreng!” and to pre-order for yourself or your organization, please visit www.m54.org/letsfarbreng.

The game includes: A board outlining the Farbrengen process, theme cards, ranging from Rebbe and Dirah B’tachtonim, to marriage and money, a Mashpia piece and Mekabel pieces, a Farbrengen measuring cup, dice and a sand timer.