How to Play the Hanukkah Dreidel Game

Simple Rules for Enjoying this Jewish Holiday Tradition

Nov 6, 2008

The rules for playing the Hanukkah dreidel game are simple. All players need is Hanukkah gelt and the understanding of four Hebrew letters.

The dreidel game is one of the best known traditions associated with the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. Here's what this simple and festive game is all about, and how to play.

What is a Dreydel?

A dreidel -- which is sometimes spelled dreydel or dreydl -- is a small, four-sided top that typically can fit in the palm of someone's hand. The lyrics to the well-known "Dreidel Song" claim that the dreidel is made out of clay, but these days, dreidels typically are wooden or plastic.

Each of the four sides of the dreydel is inscribed with one of four Hebrew letters -- nun, gimel, hay, or shin. These four letters are an acronym for the Hebrew phrase Nes Gadol Haya Sham, which means, "a great miracle happened there." In Israel, it's become customary for the letter shin to be replaced with the letter pei. The Israeli letters are an acronym for the phrase Nes Gadol Haya Po, or "a great miracle happened here."

Unlike the lighting of the menorah, the dreidel game does not have religious significance. Rather, it is a custom that has come to be associated with the holiday. The origins of the dreidel are unclear, but it probably found its way into Eastern European Jewish culture via other European countries. Other cultures have similar games, and the Jewish dreidel game is very similar to the Irish and English game of teetolum.

The name of the Jewish game comes from the Yiddish word "dreyen," which means "to turn."

How Does the Dreydel Game Work?

The dreydel game is a gambling game. At the beginning, players are each given an equal number of playing pieces that serve as tokens. Sometimes money is used. Typically, players use Hanukkah gelt, which are pieces of chocolate wrapped in gold foil and often decorated with Hanukkah symbols. Like the dreidel, the traditional of eating these chocolate coins has become a memorable part of the celebration of Hanukkah.

Each player beings by placing a game piece into the pot. Then players take turns spinning the dreidel. When a player spins the dreidel, he or she follows takes the action that is associated with that letter. The actions are as follows:

The dreidel game doesn't usually have a set ending. Players keep at it until they get bored or no longer want to risk losing their Hanukkah gelt.

The copyright of the article How to Play the Hanukkah Dreidel Game in Jewish Practices is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish How to Play the Hanukkah Dreidel Game in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.