 | In order to disguise their activity the Children of Israel had to resort to learning Torah in outlying areas and forests. Even this plan was not foolproof, for the enemy had many pat
19 Comments Posted
This is an amzing website!!!
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How appropriate can it be that a child's toy can defeat a giant? Shades of David and Goliath...
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I got a dreidel as a gift and thanks to this site, I finally know how to play with it!
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I learned a lot about the driedel when I read this. I never knew that it was first used as a trick to fool the enemy. That was a pretty good idea. I also learned that people were forced to learn the torah underground. Thank you for giving this information
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What is the source for this idea that they played dreidel to fool the enemy? I know that this is the reason that we have always been told, but is there any way that you can verify the SOURCE?
Thanks!
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This reason is brought in the Sefer called Otzar Kol Minhagei Yeshurun, authored by Rabbi Avraham Eliezer Hirschowitz (b. 1859).
This Sefer, explaining the meaning of various Jewish customs, was originally written in the 1890's. It soon became a classic work, and is frequently quoted in many authoritative texts.
Other reasons for the Dreidel are brought in various Seforim, among them B’nei Yissaschar and other Chassidic texts.
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This is so intresting. Me and my daughter thought it was very cool. My daughter thinks theat they were very smart and clever to think of the dreadil game. I tink it is a good and fun way for children to learn their religoin.
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Anonymous asks the right question!
With all the ancient Jewish items that archeologists constantly turn up in Israel, there has never yet turned up ONE dreidel from the Maccabean period or even near then.
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I found this fascinating, and so clever. This is a lovely story that should be told more often. I am already in my sixties and didn't know this. There is always something new and wonderful to learn!
With thanks,
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Kate, I love that Dreidel legend even though I do not believe it, do not believe in eight days of light from one flask, and consider the Maccabee story highly exaggerated. What I do believe is this:
When the Carmel fire had raged for two days, giving many nations including Greece, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt a chance to help, it rained.
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One could also say that the game was influenced by the language of the place where Ashkenazi Jews lived, i.e. German. In fact nun stands for nicht, "nothing", he for halb, "half", and so on (shin = stell ein "put in", gimel = ganz "all"). At least the meaning of the letter of the game originated probably from these words...
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I have just read this artical and find it great as I am only learning the history of our people.
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The dreidal has four sides like a house, the Holy Temple, and Ark of the Covenant.
When it is spinning, the square becomes a circle. Such is also the mystery of the Temple, and Ark. When they are standing still they are just structures, when we move them with prayer, they open up a doorway to the an infinite circle with no end!
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the letters nun gimmel heh sham have the same gematriya (numerical equivalent) as Moshiach.
p.s. Kate, they would very likely NOT have turned up dreidels in archeological digs, at least not with the letters on them which we have now, which commemorated the story and only came much later. Wooden tops of the time would have disintegrated by now
p.s. Axel - a very nice point you made, but also when all Jews around the world started praying 3 times daily for rain, then it rained. Jews out of Israel only start praying for rain on December 5th. So maybe that unity brought about the blessing we needed!
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Thank you for the explanation. It is very informative and interesting. I don't think I ever knew this.
Now it all makes sense, and now I know how to play the game, not just spin the "top."
We now have the English word, the Hebrew word, so is Dreidel the Yiddish word?
Thank you
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Yes, dreidel (related to the word "drei" which means "spin") is indeed the Yiddish word.
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I love this. This is yet another reason to be thankful to the martyrs of Israel. And of coarse the survivers. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't have the wonderful word of G-D today.
I feel the Greeks still have recentment towards the Jewish people they just don't know why these days.
Thank you for this story and may G-D bless you and your's in Him.
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As I have said, I loved this precious article, but I do not agree with Dhama, above. I just sat at a birthday and joyous celebration of a scientist at MIT, a colleague of my husband's and a man who celebrates every Passover, with us as family. At the table where I was seated was a Greek scientist and his lovely wife. There was no resentment. A word not in his vocabulary. We had a wonderful time and wound up being invited to stay with them in Crete.
The most wonderful wife, Delphina, of the Greek Episcopal Church at the corner of our street in Newton, baked for a class, the most delicious spanakopita, putting so much love into this.
Resentment? I don't know what you are talking about. I really don't. I was just in Greece, this summer, and everyone was warm and welcoming.
I hope you lose these feelings because for me, they are simply wrong, and not about love, which is where this story, our collective stories, are headed.
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thank you so much for the explanation.
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