My dreidel out of clay
It is well known that the letters on the dreidel stand for נס גדול היה שם (”a great miracle happened there”, nes gadol hayah sham). One might suppose from what they tell you in school that this phrase is why those particular letters adorn the spinning top.
It’s less well known that the letters originally stood for Yiddish words related to the game that you play with the dreidel:
- נ for nisht - take nothing
- ג for gantze - take it all
- ה for halb - take half
- ש for shtel - put one in
Indeed, knowing Yiddish would make learning the rules of the game a whole lot easier.1
Just like Purim, the main symbol of Chanukah has no apparent connection to the festival itself (except for involving lots of fun). Both have Yiddish origins that were tinkered with to create a connection to the festival they became associated with.
Or do you have other suggestions? What does gambling have to do with the Maccabees and oily miracles?
Notes:
- It’s a bit tougher for those in Israel that play with “a great miracle happened here” (nes gadol hayah poh), although English “none”, “grab”, “half” and “put” would do for them… [↩]