Why is the dreidel important?
The most common game uses a dreidel and is a popular way of helping children to remember the great miracle. A dreidel is a spinning top with a different Hebrew letter inscribed on each of its four sides. The four letters form an acronym that means: ‘A great miracle happened here.
How do you read a dreidel?
Each player spins the dreidel once during their turn. Depending on which side is facing up when the dreidel stops spinning, the player either gives or takes game pieces from the pot. If נ (nun) is facing up, the player does nothing. The person to the left spins.
How did dreidel start?
According to a tradition first documented in 1890, the game was developed by Jews who illegally studied the Torah in seclusion as they hid, sometimes in caves, from the Seleucids under Antiochus IV. At the first sign of Seleucids approaching, their Torah scrolls would be concealed and be replaced by dreidels.
How was the dreidel created?
Most scholars seem to agree that the dreidel is derived from the English version of the top, called a teetotum. Legend has it that when the ancient Greeks outlawed the study of Torah, Jews would outsmart them by playing with a spinning top – a popular gambling device – while learning Torah orally.
Why is the shamash special?
The menorah has nine branches, one for each night of the Festival of Lights, plus a shamash, meaning helper or attendant, which is lit first and then used to light the other candles. The shamash always sits a bit higher or lower than the rest of the candles so as to not get confused with the others.
Why do we use the shamash?
The ninth lamp is called a shamash, a “servator,” and it symbolically differentiates the eight holy flames from other, mundane light sources. It is usually used to light the other eight.
Does the shamash have to be higher?
To be kosher, the shamash must be offset on a higher or lower plane than the main eight candles or oil lamps, but there are differing opinions as to whether all the lights must be arranged in a straight line, or if the chanukiah can be arranged in a curve.
Does the shamash stay lit?
Step 3: Light the Shamash The candle that is raised or in the center of the menorah is the shamash (helper candle). On the first night of Hanukkah, place a candle in the holder on the far right, and light it with the shamash. Then put the shamash back in its spot (leaving it lit).