Games / dreidel
Facts about Dreidel
- 05
Gambling tokens used in dreidel games are traditionally small items like coins, nuts, raisins, or chocolate coins known as gelt.
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Players spin the dreidel and follow instructions based on which letter lands face up, with gimel meaning the player wins the entire pot.
- 03
In Israel, the dreidel's Hebrew letters spell out 'nes gadol hayah poh,' meaning 'a great miracle happened here,' replacing 'there' used in the diaspora version.
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The four Hebrew letters on a dreidel — nun, gimel, hey, and shin — form an acronym for the phrase meaning 'a great miracle happened there.
- 01
A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top used during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, with each side bearing a Hebrew letter.