| The dreidel is
associated with the Jewish holiday of
Chanukah. It has four sides:
נ
(Nun),
ג (Gimel),
ה
(Hey), ש
(Shin), and is usually played with coins, chips, or gelt (chocolate
coins). These letters also stand for the words Nes Gadol Haya Sham
meaning "a great miracle happened there," or, without the nikkud (vowel
marks), נס גדול היה שם
(Hebrew is read right to left) |
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A great
miracle happened there |
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Dreidel The dreidel is associated
with
Chanukah.
What
is a dreidel - spinning top game.
It has four sides:
נ (Nun),
ג (Gimel),
ה (Hey),
ש (Shin), and is usually
played with coins, chips, or gelt (chocolate coins). Collectively, these
letters are interpreted as, "a great miracle happened there," or,
without the nikkud.
In Israel, one
letter on the dreidel are different. The shin has been replaced with
a pei, transforming the Hebrew phrase into Nun, Gimel, Hey, Po.
“A great
miracle happened here.”
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- נס גרול היה שס
(hebrew is read right to left)
Before beginning, each player starts
with 10 or 15 coins, and then each player puts one in the pot. Before
spinning the dreidel each player deposits a fixed proportion of the
amount received into a "kupah" or kitty. One of the players spins the
dreidel. The
dreidel stops and lands with one of the symbols facing up and the
appropriate action is taken:
- Nun - nischt - "nothing" -
the next player spins
- Gimel - gantz - "all" - the
player takes the entire pot
- Hey - halb - "half" - the
player takes half of the pot, rounding up if there is an odd number
- Shin - shtel - "put in" -
the player puts one or two in the pot
Each player is given a turn to spin the
dreidel. The game may last until one
person has won everything.
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