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December 23, 2005
Holiday Symbols
By DEANNA DAHLSAD
Most of us recognize the Dreidel Song: "Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel, I
made you out of clay..." Even if we are not Jewish, we recognize
the sweet song. But how many of us know what a dreidel is?
The dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter inscribed
on each side. Each player receives a given number of coins or candy
pieces which they each place into the kupah or kitty. Then the
dreidel is spun. When the dreidel falls, it will fall on one of the 4
letters, each of which has an outcome of what happens to the kitty.
So what is the connection between the dreidel and Hanukkah?
The story of Hanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great, when
Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine. He allowed the people
under his control to continue observing their own religions but more
than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV was in
control of the region. He prohibited the practice of the Jewish religion
and oppressed the Jews severely. By 168 B.C.E. the Jews' holy Temple was
seized and dedicated to the worship of Zeus.
The dreidel game was popular during this time, and it was used as a
shield for gathering to study the Torah. When Jews gathered to study,
they had the dreidel ready in case they heard soldiers approaching. If
the soldiers appeared, they would hide the holy scriptures and pretend
to play with the dreidel, and thus avoid execution.
After three years of fighting, despite having fewer men and weapons, the
Jews defeated the Greek army, and secured the Temple. In order to
rededicate the Temple, oil was needed for the menorah, which was
supposed to burn throughout the night - every night. There was very
little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks - just enough
oil to burn for one day. Yet the oil burned for eight days, precisely
the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil. Hanukkah is the eight
day festival which commemorates the miracle of the oil and therefore the
rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E.
And so the dreidel is a symbol of the revolution against assimilation
and the suppression of Jewish religion. As symbol of Hanukkah, its
Hebrew letters stand for the phrase, "A great miracle happened there".
It's a symbol of faith. And where there is faith, there is love.
DREIDEL SONG
I have a little Dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then Dreidel I shall play.
/ Chorus:/
Oh Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel
I made it out of clay
Oh Dreidle, Dreidle, Dreidle
Then Dreidel I shall play.
It has a lovely body
With legs so short and thin
And when it gets all tired
It drops and then I win
~/Chorus/
My Dreidel's always playful
It loves to dance and spin
A happy game of dreidel
Come play, now let's begin!
~/Chorus/
Posted by photocartoonist at December 23, 2005 11:16 PM