A dreidel is a small spinning top with four sides. Each side has a Hebrew letter: nun, gimel, heh, and shin. They stand for "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham", which means "A great miracle happened there." In Isreal the dreidel has pey instead of shin, for "Nes Gadol Hayah Po," which means "A great miracle happened here."
Spinning the dreidel is an old game of betting and luck. Here is how it is played.
- Give each person the same amount of candy or nuts.
- Each player puts one piece in the pot.
- The first player spins the dreidel and does what the dreidel says.
Gimel
take all
Hay
take half
Shin or Pey
add 1 to the pot
Nun
nothing - After a player gets a gimel, everyone puts one more piece into the pot.
- Everyone takes a turn. When you are finished playing, you can eat your candy or nuts.
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