Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel

Back when the Romans were in charge, the Jews were forbidden to tell the story of Hanukkah. They were allowed to gamble though (the Romans were big on gambling) and so the Jews invented the Dreidel game. On the surface it is indeed a gambling game but the letters and the sentence they form "Nes gadol haya sham" ("a great miracle happened there") were a teaching tale, secretly hidden within.

Clever, huh?


Dreidel Game Rules - How to Play Dreidel

The dreidel is a 4-sided top of ancient origin.
The Hebrew letters on the side are nun, gimel, hay, and shin.
They form an acronym in Hebrew which means
"A great miracle happened there."
Dreidel, is a traditional game played by children
during the eight day Hanukkah celebration.

This game is best played in groups of 4-6. Each player gets an equal number of pennies, nuts, M&Ms, stones or whatever you wish to use.

Each player takes turns spinning the dreidel.
If it lands on:
Nun
-- the player receives nothing, next player spins.

Gimel
-- the player takes all of the pot.

Hay
-- the player takes half of the pot.

Shin
-- the player puts a playing piece into the pot.

Each time the pot is emptied out, each player puts in a
playing piece (penny, nut, candy) and the game continues.

What teaching tales do you have hidden within you?