We Keep on Spinning, Spinning, Spinning…Into the Future!

By Sarah Bialkin

“I have a little dreidel. I made it out of clay. And when it’s dry and ready, then dreidel I shall play.”

Chances are, you’re already humming or singing the famous chorus: “Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel.” Some Jewish songs return to us year after year, their melodies woven into the fabric of tradition. Even if you sing a playful parody about a dreidel made “of ants… that crawled up your pants,” or “of bread… and you ate it all instead,” it’s because this simple spinning top has become a powerful symbol of Hanukkah.

Although the Hanukkah story dates back to approximately 175 BCE, the dreidel’s incorporation into Jewish tradition is a more recent development, likely emerging in the Medieval era. It wasn’t until the 19th century that a now-anonymous rabbi suggested a way to connect the dreidel to the Hanukkah story itself.

The rabbi proposed that during the reign of King Antiochus, when the teaching of the Torah was outlawed in Judea, Jewish educators defied the ban by secretly continuing their lessons. If Greek soldiers discovered one of these clandestine schools, the students would quickly pull out their spinning tops and coins, pretending to be gambling rather than studying.

Today, the dreidel’s four letters—Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin—are commonly understood to form an acronym for the Hebrew phrase “Nes Gadol Haya Sham,” meaning “A great miracle happened there.” This phrase refers to the Hanukkah miracle of the oil and the incredible underdog victory of the Maccabees. However, other interpretations add depth to the symbolism of these letters.

The great Chassidic scholar Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapiro (1783–1841) taught that the letters represent four ancient kingdoms that sought to destroy the Jewish people:

• Nun: Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem.
• Gimmel: Gog (Greece), which tried to erase Jewish religion during Hanukkah.
• Hay: Haman, the Persian official who sought to annihilate the Jews, remembered during Purim.
• Shin: Seir (Rome), which destroyed the Second Temple and ended Jewish sovereignty in Judea for nearly 2,000 years.

Another interpretation sees the dreidel’s letters as symbols of the core aspects of a person:

• Nun: Nefesh, or “soul.”
• Gimmel: Guf, or “body.”
• Shin: Sechel, or “understanding” (figuratively, “mind”).
• Hay: Hakol, or “everything,” signifying the unity of soul, body, and mind.

Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech further connected these ideas to the kingdoms’ attacks:

• The Babylonians attacked the body (Guf) by destroying the First Temple.
• The Persians targeted the soul (Nefesh) by luring Jews with luxury.
• The Greeks sought to undermine understanding (Sechel) by replacing Jewish teachings with Greek philosophy.
• The Romans assaulted all aspects (Hakol) by obliterating the Second Temple and severely disrupting Jewish life.

As with many Jewish customs, numerology offers additional insight. In Hebrew, every letter has a numerical value, and the dreidel’s letters—Nun, Gimmel, Hay, and Shin—add up to 358. This number also corresponds to Nachash (the snake that tempted Adam and Eve) and Moshiach (the Messiah, who is prophesied to bring global peace). The same numerical value ties together themes of downfall and redemption, reminding us that even in moments of despair, there is hope for salvation.

So, what does it all mean? The dreidel is more than just a fun game; it’s a history lesson in disguise, encapsulating both the struggles and triumphs of the Jewish people.

Just like the dreidel spins and keeps going, so too do the Jewish people. Despite countless challenges throughout history—including the tragedy of October 7th and the recent rise in global anti-Semitism—we remain resilient and steadfast. The dreidel teaches us that our light will never be extinguished.

We will keep spinning. We will keep rising. And we will keep surviving.