"A dreidel is a spinning top with four sides, each inscribed with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Hebrew letters inscribed on a dreidel are a Nun, Gimel, Hay or Chai, and Shin. The letters form an acronym for the Hebrew saying Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, which can be translated to "a great miracle happened there," referring to the miracle which Hanukkah is centered around."
"According to Chabad.org, Jewish traditions rates that the dreidel dates back to when the the Holy Land was under Greek-Syrian rule and the Maccabean revolt which is celebrated by the holiday of Hanukkah. At that time, learning Torah was outlawed and a crime viewed as punishable by death, resorting to Jews hiding in caves to study. If they heard a Greek patrol near by, the Jews would hide their Torah scrolls and pretend to be playing a game with dreidels instead."
A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top marked with the Hebrew letters Nun, Gimel, Hay (or Chai), and Shin. The letters form the acronym Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, meaning "a great miracle happened there," which references the Hanukkah miracle. The dreidel tradition traces to Greek-Syrian rule and the Maccabean revolt when Torah study was outlawed; learners hid in caves and pretended to play with dreidels to avoid detection. Dreidel is played in groups with each player contributing game pieces like chocolate gelt to a communal pot. Spins determine outcomes: Gimel wins all, Hay wins half, Nun wins nothing, and Shin requires adding an item to the pot.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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