What Is a Dreidel and How do you Play the Dreidel Game?
After the menorah, the dreidel is probably the most recognized symbol of Hanukkah. It is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters are: Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin, which stand for the Hebrew phrase: “Nes Gadol Haya Sham.” When translated this means, “A great miracle happened there.” Players spin the top and guess which Hebrew letter will be shown when the dreidel stops spinning. A similar game was popular during the rule of Antiochus, when the Jews were not free to openly practice their religion. When they gathered to study the Torah, they would bring a top with them. If soldiers appeared, they would quickly hide their books and pretend to be gambling. After the State of Israel was founded in 1948, the Hebrew letters were changed for dreidels used in Israel. They became: Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Pey. These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase, “Nes Gadol Haya Po,” which means, “A great miracle happened here.” The miracle refers to the miracle of the Hanukkah
