Dreidel

A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top used during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

While spinning the top is not a religious requirement, it is a deeply cherished tradition. It serves as a centerpiece for social gatherings and festive play. The dreidel is a Jewish variation of a teetotum. A teetotum is a gambling toy found across Europe and Latin America. This toy uses letters to dictate the rules of a game. For many, the dreidel is more than just a toy; it is a symbol of history and resilience.

Playing the game requires specific steps and a set of game pieces. Players usually begin with 10 to 15 pieces, such as raisins, pennies, or chocolate gelt. To start, every participant places one piece into a central pot. If the pot becomes empty, every player must add another piece to restart it. During a turn, a player spins the dreidel once. The rule applied depends on which of the four Hebrew letters faces upward.

The letters on the dreidel act as a mnemonic, or a memory tool, for the rules. The letter nun (נ) stands for the Yiddish word *nisht*, meaning nothing. If nun faces up, the player does nothing. The letter gimel (ג) stands for *gantz*, meaning entire or whole. A player who spins gimel takes every piece in the pot. The letter hei (ה) stands for *halb*, meaning half. This player takes half of the pieces, rounding up if the number is odd. Finally, the letter shin (ש) stands for *shtel arayn*, which means put in. This player must donate one piece to the pot. Some versions require adding three pieces to match the three stems of the letter shin.

History offers several theories about where the dreidel originated. It may have developed from an Irish or English top known as a teetotum. This toy dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times and was popular in Germany. The dreidel likely adapted these European traditions into the Hebrew alphabet. One tradition documented in 1890 suggests a more heroic origin. It claims Jews used dreidels to hide their Torah studies from the Seleucids. When soldiers approached, they supposedly swapped their holy scrolls for spinning tops.

There are many regional variations in how dreidels are made and labeled. In Israel, many dreidels replace the letter shin with the letter pe (פ). This change shifts the meaning of the letters. While the traditional letters represent "a great miracle happened there," the Israeli version says "a great miracle happened here." This reflects a change in the phrase *nes gadól hayáh sham* to *nes gadól hayáh poh*. Because some communities preferred the original meaning, five-sided dreidels were invented in 2022. These special tops represent the phrase "a great miracle happened here and there."

Beyond the home, the dreidel has entered the world of competitive sport and science. In North America, Major League Dreidel (MLD) hosts tournaments. Founded in New York City in 2007, the MLD holds contests in a stadium called a Spinagogue. In these competitions, the winner is the person with the longest time of spin (TOS). The toy has even traveled beyond Earth. In 1993, astronaut Jeffrey A. Hoffman spun a dreidel in space.

Collectors also find great value in these spinning tops. Museums like the Spinning Top and Yo-Yo Museum house various collections. Dreidels are crafted from many materials, including wood, silver, brass, and lead. Some are quite rare, such as the black iron Bidriware style dreidels from Cochin. The most valuable dreidel was recorded in 2019 by Estate Diamond Jewelry. This specific dreidel was valued at $70,000. Its design was actually inspired by the Chrysler Building in New York.

The dreidel connects to various fields of study, from mathematics to linguistics. Mathematicians have analyzed the game to find the expected number of spins. They found that the number of spins is related to the square of the starting pieces. Researchers have also noted that the game is mathematically unfair. The first player often has a better expected outcome than the second or third. Even the name "dreidel" has deep roots, coming from the Yiddish word for "to turn."