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Dreidl means "top" (the kind that spins) in Yiddish. The game was devised to teach children about the story of Hannukah. The four Hebrew letters ('nun' 'gimmel' 'hey' and 'shin') on each side of the top are an acrostic for the phrase "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham" - meaning "A great miracle happened there". In Israel, the last letter is 'pey' for "Po" - "here" - because the Hannuka story took place in Israel.
The dreidal was originally used to keep the Syrians ignorant of the true intentions of the Jewish children, (mostly the boys).
The boys would be studying their Torah books, but when they saw the Syrian guards coming, they would hide their books and take out the dreidals. The guards didn't see anything wrong with children playing with tops, so they moved along.
*The Jews were forbidden to study Torah, or other aspects of Judaism.
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A Hanukkah toy that begins with a d?
Dreidl
What is a Hanukkah toy?
The spinning top played with during Hanukkah is called a dreidel - דריידל in Yiddish and a Sevivon - סביבון - in Hebrew.
What is hanuukkah geld?
Hanukkah Gelt is the gold-foil covered chocolate coins used when playing the dreidl game at Hanukkah. "Gelt" is the German and Yiddish word for "gold".
What are three traditons of Hanukkah?
1. lighting the candles on the menorah 2. Playing the dreidl game. 3. going to parties.
What three things do you do for Christmas?
Eat latkes, play dreidl and light the menorah.
What are Hanukkah people named?
Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah. (They are not called "Hanukkah people")
What religious groups celebrate hanukkah?
Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration:http://judaism.answers.com/jewish-holidays/hanukkah
What is the dice that Jewish people play with called?
There is no "dice" that Jewish people play with. You might be thinking of a dreidel, which is a kind of spinning top played on Hanukkah.
What so Hanukkah people eat?
There's no such thing as Hanukkah people. Hanukkah is a holiday that is celebrated by Jewish people. During Hanukkah, we customarily eat latkes (potato pancakes) or jelly donuts.
Why do hanukkah people eat tamales at hanukkah?
There is no Jewish tradition of eating tamales on Hanukkah.
How Hanukkah people use long candles?
There is no such thing as "Hanukkah People". People who celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah are called Jewish people. And there are no Jewish rituals that refer to "long" candles.
How is Spain related to Hanukkah?
Spain is not related to Hanukkah, but Jewish people living in Spain celebrate Hanukkah.
