Dreidel: 5 Interesting Facts

By Aish.com A dizzying array of fascinating insights behind this iconic Jewish symbol. 1. Recognizing Miracles in Nature While the dreidel spins, the letters disappear in a blur and are visible only when coming to a stop. Immersed in the dizzying hustle-bustle of daily routine, we can't see the miracles regularly happening all around. Only when we stop to reflect are our eyes opened to the miracles that were there the whole time. 2. Letters’ Deeper Meanings The dreidels’ Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, hey and shin don’t only stand for Nes Gadol Haya Sham (A great miracle happened there). The four letters also correspond with four ancient kingdoms that tried to destroy the Jewish people. Nun = Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian leader who destroyed the first Temple in Jerusalem. Gimel = Gog, or Greece, which tried to eradicate the Jewish religion in the time of Hanukkah. Hey = Haman, the wicked minister in ancient Persia who wanted to wipe out the Jews and whose defeat is remembered during Purim. Shin = Seir, or ancient Rome, which destroyed the second Temple in Jerusalem and ended Jewish rule in ancient Israel for nearly two thousand years. 3. Dreidels vs. Groggers There are two items Jews spin – dreidels and groggers, Purim noisemakers. On Purim, we hold the grogger from the bottom; we can’t see our hand controlling the toy, reflecting the nature of the Purim miracle when God's hand was hidden. On Hanukkah, we spin dreidels from the top. Our hands – symbolizing the “hand” of God – are visible, hinting to Hanukkah's miracle when God wrought clear miracles as the Jews fought the Syrian Greeks. 4. Fooling Greek Soldiers In 175 BCE, King Antiochus Epiphanes took control of Israel and instituted harsh decrees, forbidding Jews to keep Shabbat and Jewish holidays and banning the learning of Torah. Jewish teachers and parents persisted, running clandestine schools at risk of death. If Greek soldiers raided these schools, children would take out their dreidels and some coins and explain that they were just playing games. This way a generation of Jewish children to study Torah and live Jewish lives. 5. Numerical Surprises The numerical value of the dreidel’s 4 letters is 358 which is the numerical value of the Hebrew word Moshiach, or Messiah, who will ultimately redeem the Jewish people, reassuring us that no matter how much danger the Jewish people are in, God will never abandon us. For more Jewish inspiration visit https://www.aish.com – the world's leading Judaism website.