What the history of the dreidel?
The dreidel is a traditional Hanukah toy. If the dreidel were merely a symbol of the Hanukah story then (borrowing from another holiday)– Dayenu!–it would have been enough to assure its significance and memory throughout the generations. In fact, the dreidel has other symbolic meanings. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language-Fourth Edition, the word dreidel derives from the Yiddish word dreydl based on dreyen, to turn. These words are themselves derived from Middle High German (draejen) and Old High German (draen). One occasionally sees alternative spellings dreidl, dreydl, and dreidyl in various contexts. More than one dreidel constitutes dreideloch but the common English plural is dreidels. A dreidel differs from an ordinary spinning top because it is emblazoned with the four letters Nun-Gimel-Heh-Shin representing the words Nas-Godol-Hayah-Sham (A Great Miracle Happened There). Since 1948 Israeli dreidels bear the letters Nun-Gimel-Heh-Pei for the ph
