All about the Dreidl
A long standing Hanukkah tradition is the playing of the dreidl game, so here is some information about the dreidl, and directions for playing the game.
What is a dreidl?
A dreidl is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The letters, nun, gimel, hey and shin, stand for the words Nes gadol hayah sham – A great miracle happened there.
In Israel, the sham is replaced with a peh, and the word sham is replaced with po to say A great miracle happened here, as the Hanukkah miracles took place in what is now the State of Israel.
Why is the game played on Hanukkah?
Some say that the game was played during the time of the Maccabees. Under the rule of King Antiochus, the Greek-Syrian king, Jews would be severely punished if they studied Torah or prayed to God. Religious Jews would keep a dreidl on hand when they gathered to study or pray, and if the King’s soldiers came to check on them, the Jews would pretend they were simply playing a game of dreidl.
Others believe that the game of dreidl was created to help children remember the miracles of Hanukkah.
(And others believe that the game was adopted for Hanukkah from a 16th century European gambling game.)
The Dreidl Game – Directions:
This game is most fun with 3 or more people. You can use pennies, Hanukkah gelt, smarties, or whatever you’d like as playing pieces.
1.Divide the playing pieces equally amongst the players. Each player puts a playing piece into the middle to make the pot.
2.Youngest player spins the dreidl first. If it lands on:
Gimel – the player takes the whole pot. Then each player puts in a playing piece to replace the pot.
Hey – the player takes half the pot.
Nun – the player takes nothing.
Shin – the player puts in a playing piece.
3. Once the player’s turn is complete, the next player spins. Players are knocked out of the game when they lose all of their playing pieces. The last player to remain is the winner.
The Dreidl Song
There are numerous dreidl songs, but amongst the best known is I had a Little Dreidl. Here are the lyrics.
I had a little dreidl,
I made it out of clay,
And when it’s dry and ready,
Then dreidl I will play.
CHORUS
Oh dreidl, dreidl, dreid,
I made it out of clay,
And when it’s dry and ready,
Then dreidl I will play.
Now continue the song, making up your own verses, like the samples below. Be as silly as you’d like.
I had a little dreidl,
I made it out of mud,
But when I tried to spin it,
It fell down with a thud.
CHORUS
I had a little dreidl,
I made it out of glue,
But when I tried to spin it,
It stuck right to my shoe.
Now you continue…
You can find more Hanukkah songs and find more song links at www.hebrewsongs.com/chanukah.htm
Thursday, September 17th, 2009