Another religion thread??? Dreidels

[AnaheimGirl]

Does a dreidel have religious significance, or is it more of a secular symbol of Hannukah, such as Santa or a stocking are of Christmas?

The reason I ask is this. In my area, there has long been a holiday parade at the beginning of December. It has never allowed religious themed entries until this year. In the past, there have been images along the lines of candy canes, gingerbread men, and of course, Santa Claus himself is always featured.

This year, after public pressure primarily driven by one particular church, they started to allow religious themed entries. This church is the only organization that entered a religiously themed float, a nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, etc.

Of course, there were many news reports on the whole thing, and one of the church leaders was quoted as pointing out another float depicting a dreidel amidst other toys and saying that it was a religious float. This just sounded ridiculous to me, because I don't think of a dreidel as being religious along the lines of a nativity. Not a big deal, it just got my curiosity up, so I wonder, does a dreidel have religious significance?

Thanks

 

[KimOhio]

when I was young I had one it was more like a toy a top that spins

 

[princess pooh]

It's a toy. The Hebrew letters on the dreidel stand for " a great miracle happened there", but there's nothing religious about it.

 

[NJBlackBerry]

I always felt it is a religious symbol (I am Jewish)...

From judaism.about.com

Q. What is the source of the dreidel?

A. A dreidel (also spelled dreidl or draydel) is a four sided spinning top with a different Hebrew letter on each side. The game of dreidel is traditionally played during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The Ancient Connection

Some people maintain that the dreidel game goes back to the time of the Greek-Syrians, and thus is integrally connected to the Hanukkah holiday. Since the Greek-Syrians prohibited the Jews from studying Torah, the Jews needed a way to hide their Torah learning. They used the dreidel as a decoy. When they saw the Greek-Syrians coming, the Jews would hide their books, take out their dreidels, and trick the Syrians into thinking they were just playing a game.

The European Connection

While the above story is a wonderful way to link the holiday's history to its modern celebration, the true source of the game is probably European.

In Europe, a gambling game with a spinning top has been played for centuries by various people in various languages. In England and Ireland, the game of totum or teetotum, first mentioned in approximately 1500, was especially popular at Christmastime. The Germans also liked to play a gambling game with a spinning top.

It is believed that the Jewish game of dreidel is a Judaicized version of the German gambling game. The Yiddish word dreidel derived from the German word drehen, which means "to spin."

The letters on the faces of the gambling toy, which were mnemonic for the rules of the game, varied in each nation. The letters on the English spinning top were: T for Take, H for Half, P for Put, N for None. In the German game, the letters were: N for Nichts (nothing), G for Ganz (all), H for Halb (half), S for Stell (put). The Hebrew letters on the dreidel seem to have come directly from the German gambling toy: Nun for Nichts (nothing), Gimel for Ganz (all), Hay for Halb (half), Shin for Stell (put).

In an effort to link the game to the celebration of Hanukkah, the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hay and shin were said to stand for the phrase Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means "a great miracle happened there."

The Israeli Connection

With the birth of Israel and the revival of the Hebrew language, Israelis called the dreidel a sivivon. Sivivon comes from the Hebrew word sovev which means "to turn."

Furthermore, Israelis changed the letter shin on the dreidel to the letter pay. Thus, the letters nun, gimel, hay and pay would stand for the phrase Nes Gadol Haya Po, which means "a great miracle happened here."

 

[JennyMominRI]

Does a dreidel have religious significance, or is it more of a secular symbol of Hannukah, such as Santa or a stocking are of Christmas?

The reason I ask is this. In my area, there has long been a holiday parade at the beginning of December. It has never allowed religious themed entries until this year. In the past, there have been images along the lines of candy canes, gingerbread men, and of course, Santa Claus himself is always featured.

This year, after public pressure primarily driven by one particular church, they started to allow religious themed entries. This church is the only organization that entered a religiously themed float, a nativity scene with Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, etc.

Of course, there were many news reports on the whole thing, and one of the church leaders was quoted as pointing out another float depicting a dreidel amidst other toys and saying that it was a religious float. This just sounded ridiculous to me, because I don't think of a dreidel as being religious along the lines of a nativity. Not a big deal, it just got my curiosity up, so I wonder, does a dreidel have religious significance?

Thanks

This may help
A dreidel (also spelled dreidl or draydel) is a four sided spinning top with a different Hebrew letter on each side. The game of dreidel is traditionally played during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

The Ancient Connection

Some people maintain that the dreidel game goes back to the time of the Greek-Syrians, and thus is integrally connected to the Hanukkah holiday. Since the Greek-Syrians prohibited the Jews from studying Torah, the Jews needed a way to hide their Torah learning. They used the dreidel as a decoy. When they saw the Greek-Syrians coming, the Jews would hide their books, take out their dreidels, and trick the Syrians into thinking they were just playing a game.

The European Connection

While the above story is a wonderful way to link the holiday's history to its modern celebration, the true source of the game is probably European. Dreidle and Star Decorations, Centerpieces, Confetti, Banners.
4FunParties.com


In Europe, a gambling game with a spinning top has been played for centuries by various people in various languages. In England and Ireland, the game of totum or teetotum, first mentioned in approximately 1500, was especially popular at Christmastime. The Germans also liked to play a gambling game with a spinning top.

It is believed that the Jewish game of dreidel is a Judaicized version of the German gambling game. The Yiddish word dreidel derived from the German word drehen, which means "to spin."

The letters on the faces of the gambling toy, which were mnemonic for the rules of the game, varied in each nation. The letters on the English spinning top were: T for Take, H for Half, P for Put, N for None. In the German game, the letters were: N for Nichts (nothing), G for Ganz (all), H for Halb (half), S for Stell (put). The Hebrew letters on the dreidel seem to have come directly from the German gambling toy: Nun for Nichts (nothing), Gimel for Ganz (all), Hay for Halb (half), Shin for Stell (put).

In an effort to link the game to the celebration of Hanukkah, the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hay and shin were said to stand for the phrase Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means "a great miracle happened there."

The Israeli Connection

With the birth of Israel and the revival of the Hebrew language, Israelis called the dreidel a sivivon. Sivivon comes from the Hebrew word sovev which means "to turn."

Furthermore, Israelis changed the letter shin on the dreidel to the letter pay. Thus, the letters nun, gimel, hay and pay would stand for the phrase Nes Gadol Haya Po, which means "a great miracle happened here."

 

[NJBlackBerry]

Ha - beat you to it!

 

[JennyMominRI]

Ha - beat you to it!

Too funny