A fun part of Hanukkah celebrations is the tradition of playing the dreidel game with special spinning tops. The Hanukkah holiday remembers how the Greeks had overpowered the Jewish people in the land after they had returned from exile in Babylon, and how by sheer miracles the Jewish Maccabees managed to fight for their freedom and win. They rededicated the temple to God, and that’s the meaning of the name Hanukkah: it’s the Feast of Dedication mentioned in the New Testament, in John 10:22. But how do dreidels come into this?
The history of Hanukkah
According to the history as it’s written in the books of the Maccabees, Jewish people had been banned from practicing their faith under the wicked Greek leader, Antiochus IV. Temple rites and circumcisions were outlawed, and so was studying the Bible. In order to keep reading the Bible, study groups would have these dreidels ready at all times, so if they were caught earnestly grouped together around the Scriptures they could pretend they were just playing a game.
Antiochus had erected Greek idols in the temple and even sacrificed a pig on it, forcing some of the Jewish elders to eat pigs flesh, and that turned out to be the last straw for Judah Maccabee who led the rebellion against the Greeks. They were eventually able to restore God’s house and relight the menorah, but there was only enough pure temple oil for one day, and the purification process took a week. Miraculously, so the legend goes, that one day’s oil kept the lamp burning in the temple for eight days.
Today, during the eight days of Hanukkah, Jewish families will remember the miracles by eating oily foods like donuts and latkes, and lighting the Hanukkah candles each day of the holiday. It’s also customary to play the dreidel game!
Here’s how you play the Dreidel Game
Everyone starts with an equal number of coins / buttons / sweets / counters, and puts one in the middle before each round of spinning begins. Each person spins in turn.
The letter נ (Nun) stands for the Hebrew word “Nes” which means MIRACLE.
If your dreidel lands on Nun, nothing happens. The next person spins.
The letter ג (Gimel) stands for “Gadol” which means GREAT, or BIG.
If your dreidel lands on Gimel you take ALL the coins / buttons / counters!
The letter ה (Hey) stands for “Haya” which means WAS.
If your dreidel lands on Hiya you take HALF of the coins / buttons / counters.
The letter ש (Shin) stands for “Sham” which means THERE.
In Israel the fourth letter on our dreidel is פ (Peh) instead, which stands for “Po” meaning HERE!
If your dreidel lands on Sham (or Po) you put in 2 coins / buttons / counters instead of just 1.
God has done many miracles for His people, both in Israel and in the nations. Hanukkah is a great time to remember all He has done for us, and rededicate the temple of our lives to Him!
