Directions for a Dreidel

The dreidel game is simple and easy to play.

The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top that is used as part of a Hanukkah game in the Jewish tradition. Its origins date back to the rule of the Greek king Antiochus, who forbade Jews from practicing their religion. As a way around this rule, people would bring a spinning top with them when they studied the Torah, so that if they were discovered, they could claim to be playing a gambling game. Today, the dreidel game is played by children of all ages to remember that time in Jewish history. Does this Spark an idea?

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Gelt (chocolate foil coins)

Instructions

- 1
  
  Distribute a handful of gelt evenly to all of the players in the game, leaving a pile in the middle to be the pot. The game can be played by any number of people, but two to four is ideal.
- 2
  
  Have the youngest player spin the dreidel until it lands on one side. The action that is taken is dependent on which side the dreidel lands on.
- 3
  
  The player takes the entire pot if the dreidel lands on the Hebrew letter "Gimel," which is comprised of a vertical line with two small dots at the bottom and a stroke to the left at the top. The player takes half the pot if the dreidel lands on the letter "Hey," which is made up of two straight vertical lines topped with a horizontal line. The player forfeits his turn if the dreidel lands on "Nun," a letter which looks like a backwards "L." The player loses all of his coins if the dreidel lands on "Shin," which looks like a stylized "W."
- 4
  
  Once the youngest player is done spinning, pass the dreidel to the next player and have her spin to determine her action. Players should sit in a circle so the dreidel can be passed to the first player's left or right to continue the game.
- 5
  
  Continue the game until one player has won all of the gelt.