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Why do we play dreidel on Hanukkah? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
It's traditional on Hanukkah to play with a dreidel, which is a special four-sided top that has Hebrew letters on its side.
The reason that Hanukkah is celebrated is to remember a miracle from hundreds of years ago when the Jewish people took back their holy temple from the Syrians, who had tried to outlaw the Jewish religion. Because the Syrians had been trying to make it illegal to practice Judaism, Jewish children who wanted to study their religion had to do so in secret! They would go out into the woods to hide themselves from the Syrians while they learned. But, just in case a Syrian came along, they always kept a top with them so they could put away their studies and quickly pretend as if they were playing, instead!
Today, we play dreidel on Hanukkah in honor of those who had to play the game in order to practice what they believed in!
Dreidels here and there!
Do you know what the four Hebrew letters are on a dreidel, and what they stand for? Each side of the dreidel contains the first letter of a sentence in Hebrew, which is pronounced like “Ness gadol hayah sham” and written like נס גדול היה שם . In Engligh, this sentence means “A great miracle happened there.”
But, because the miracle of Hanukkah occurred in Israel, dreidels made and used in Israel have a different sentence than those in the rest of the world! The sentence on the sides of a dreidel in Israel is pronounced like “Ness gadol hayah poh” and written like נס גדול היה פה . In English, it means “A great miracle happened here,” instead!
The reason that Hanukkah is celebrated is to remember a miracle from hundreds of years ago when the Jewish people took back their holy temple from the Syrians, who had tried to outlaw the Jewish religion. Because the Syrians had been trying to make it illegal to practice Judaism, Jewish children who wanted to study their religion had to do so in secret! They would go out into the woods to hide themselves from the Syrians while they learned. But, just in case a Syrian came along, they always kept a top with them so they could put away their studies and quickly pretend as if they were playing, instead!
Today, we play dreidel on Hanukkah in honor of those who had to play the game in order to practice what they believed in!
Dreidels here and there!
Do you know what the four Hebrew letters are on a dreidel, and what they stand for? Each side of the dreidel contains the first letter of a sentence in Hebrew, which is pronounced like “Ness gadol hayah sham” and written like נס גדול היה שם . In Engligh, this sentence means “A great miracle happened there.”
But, because the miracle of Hanukkah occurred in Israel, dreidels made and used in Israel have a different sentence than those in the rest of the world! The sentence on the sides of a dreidel in Israel is pronounced like “Ness gadol hayah poh” and written like נס גדול היה פה . In English, it means “A great miracle happened here,” instead!
