[carlo3b]

		[ view all articles in this section ] The Secret of the Dreidel   by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair
A Children's Game That Contains the Story of the Jewish People

 

		The Dreidel
		A children's game, played in the firelight of a cold winter night, the Chanukah Menorah silently glowing in the window... The dreidel. Its four sides spinning around the still point in the turning circle; spinning so fast that its sides blur into nothingness... The dreidel. So seemingly insignificant - and yet this little dreidel contains the story of the Jewish People; the history of the whole world...

		Our story
		starts not with the miracle of Chanukah, but 1,437 years earlier with Jacob's ladder. Jacob had a prophetic dream of angels ascending and descending a ladder that reached from the ground to the heavens. These angels weren't Hollywood extras with fluorescent tubes over their heads - they were, in fact, incorporeal spiritual messengers - the protecting forces of four great kingdoms.  Four kingdoms that would in the future dominate and exile the Jewish People: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome.  At first, Yaakov saw the angel of Babylon ascend the ladder 70 steps and then he came down: The Jewish People were in the Babylonian exile for 70 years.  The protecting angel of the Empire of Persia and Media then climbed up the ladder 52 steps before he descended: The Jewish People were in exile in Persia 52 years.  Then the angel of the Empire of Greece climbed 180 rungs - the domination of Greece lasted 180 years.  Finally, the protecting angel of the Roman Empire climbed up the ladder, but he didn't come down. Yaakov feared that this final exile would never end, until Hashem promised Yaakov - If he will rise up like an eagle and make his nest among the stars - even from there I will bring him down. We are still in that final exile, in the softly asphyxiating embrace of Rome's spiritual heirs....

		The Four Kingdoms
		BABYLON In the year 3338 (587/6 BCE), the first of our Holy Temples was razed to the ground by the Babylonian Emperor Nabuchadnezer, and the majority of the Jewish People led into exile by the Assyrian Emperor Sancheriv. Why was it such a tragedy that the Beis Hamikdash (Holy Temple) was destroyed? The Beis Hamikdash represents a unique pipeline between Hashem and Man. When it was destroyed, this flow of spiritual energy was severed. The level of this connection is linked to the word "nefesh" - soul ("When a soul will bring an offering"...Vayikra 2:1). Nefesh begins with the letter Nun, and Nun represents the kingdom of Babylon. PERSIA As we know from the story of Esther, Haman was interested in finding the final solution of the Jewish problem - genocide. The exile of Persia and Media represents the threat to the "guf" - the body of the Jewish People, the physical threat of annihilation. Guf begins with Gimmel which stands for the kingdom of Persia and Media. GREECE Greece, on the other hand, represents the attack on the Torah itself - the sechel - the wisdom of Israel. The Greeks weren't interested in the physical destruction of the Jewish People; rather they wanted to destroy the spiritual core of Judaism - the Torah - and leave a Hellenized hulk that would conform to the Greek norms of aesthetics - drama and the superficial wisdoms. Sechel begins with the letter Sin - that's the letter of the kingdom of Greece. ROME The fourth kingdom, Rome, is a summation of all the other exiles. At the beginning of their domination, the Romans, like the Babylonians, stopped the bringing of offerings in the Temple. Then, they destroyed the second Holy Temple and inflicted unthinkable carnage on the "guf", the body of Jewish People: After the massacre of Betar, they used Jewish blood as fertilizer for seven years. At first, Rome was the intellectual scion of Greece, but with the conversion of the emperor Constantine to Christianity in 313 CE, the Catholic Church became the spiritual heir of the Roman Empire. After the demise of the influence of the Church, the mantle of Rome was subsequently worn by secularism and materialism - the spiritual incarnation of Rome in our own times. Rome is all the exiles rolled into one and thus it is represented by the Hebrew word "HaKol," meaning "all". Its first letter is the letter Heh.

		WHERE is the point at the center of a circle?
		Can you define it? And yet it exists. Just like the letter 'yud' in the Hebrew alphabet - a single dot - from which the whole universe was created - the threshold of existence. The still point in the turning circle - and around that dot turns the whole world. The Jewish People are that little dot - so infinitesimally small, and yet around this dot, the world turns.

		WHAT is the opposite to that little dot?
		What is the opposite of the central point that occupies no space? Direction - North, South, East and West. Expansion in four directions. Four is the antithesis of the One. Four is the number of the Kingdoms who stand eternally opposed to the Jewish People. Eternally opposed to He who is One. And to His reflection in this world - the Jewish People.

		TAKE another look at our dreidel spinning.
		What do you see? Four sides. Spinning around a central point that occupies no space. And when those sides spin - they themselves cease to have direction anymore. Now, in the blur of their whirling - they are a circle, a reflection of the still small point at its center.

		WHAT is it that is carved on the sides of our dreidel?
		Nun, Gimmel, Sin, Heh... On the surface, those letters stand for "Nes Gadol Hayah Sham - A great miracle happened there" - The commemoration of a miraculous victory of a faithful few over the might of the Greek Empire. But on a deeper level, the dreidel is a microcosmic representation of the four kingdoms, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome spinning around the center, the Jewish People.

		AND The Hand that spins the dreidel comes from above...
		Every empire thinks that it will last forever, but The Hand that spins only spins the dreidel of history for predetermined time and then, each Empire, despite its vainglorious boasting, falters on its axis...and finally crashes.

		THE DREIDEL. A children's game,
		played in the firelight of a cold winter night, the Chanukah Menorah silently glowing in the window... The dreidel. Its four sides spinning around the still point in the turning circle; spinning so fast that its sides blur into nothingness... The dreidel. So seemingly insignificant - and yet this little dreidel contains the story of the Jewish People; the history of the whole world...  Happy Chanukah! Sources:  Ramban Bereishis 28:12 Pirkei D'Rebbe Eliezer 35 Maharal Ner Mitzvah Bnei Yisasschar, Kislev/Teves, Essay 2:25 ibid. Commentary on Bnei Yisasschar; Rav Nachman Bulman.

[AppyPappy]

What? No food? You want maybe we should starve?

[carlo3b]

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[christie]

Thanks. I'll be celebrating Hanukkah with Ilsa, but I don't know if I'll try the chicken soup again.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Thanks Carlo! I might try and use that latkas recipe! Happy Channukkah to you too!

[Betteboop]

All Jewish holidays in a nutshell.
THEY TRIED TO KILL US. WE WON. LET'S EAT!!!

[Grampa Dave]

HAPPY HANUKKAH (Chanukah) and thanks for the great history lesson!

[veronica]

HAPPY HANUKKAH to you!

And Merry Christmas to all my Christian friends at FR! :)

[bmwcyle]

HAPPY HANUKKAH FROM THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT.

[amom]

You are a treasure.

[Grampa Dave]

GW prepares to serve another Holiday meal for our troops!

[In_25_words_or_less]

Thanks for the ping and a wonderful, informative post! I e-mailed a link to some Christian family and friends. God bless you all! =)

Genesis 12:1-3

[Momaw Nadon]

The Hanukkah Song

by Adam Sandler


Intro: This is a song, that uh, there's a lot of Christmas songs out there, but not
too many about Hanukkah, so I wrote a song for all those nice little Jewish
kids who dont get to hear any Hanukkah songs--here we go...

Put on your yarmulke, here comes Hanukkah
It's so much fun-akkah to celebrate Hanukkah,

Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights,
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights.

When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree, Here's a list of
people who are Jewish, just like you and me:

David Lee Roth lights the Menorah,
So do James Caan, Kirk Douglas, and the late Dinah Shore-ah

Guess who eats together at the Karnickey Deli,
Bowzer from Sha-na-na, and Arthur Fonzerrelli.

Paul Newman's half Jewish; Goldie Hawn's half too,
Put them together--what a fine lookin’ Jew!

You dont need Deck the Halls or Jingle Bell Rock
Cause you can spin the Dreidel with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock--both Jewish!

Put on your yarmulke, it's time for Hanukkah,
The owner of the Seattle Super Sonic-ahs celebrates Hanukkah.

O.J. Simpson-- NOT A JEW!


But guess who is...Hall of Famer—Rod Carew--(he converted!)

We got Ann Landers and her sister Dear Abby,
Harrison Fords a quarter Jewish--not too shabby!

Some people think that Ebeneezer Scrooge is,
Well, he's not, but guess who is: All three stooges!

So many Jews are in show biz--
Tom Cruise isn't, but I heard his agent is.

Tell your friend Veronica, its time you celebrate Hanukkah
I hope I get a harmonica, on this lovely, lovely Hanukkah.

So drink your gin-and-tonic-ah, and smoke your mara-juanic-ah,
If you really, really wanna-kah, Have a happy, happy, happy, happy
Hanukkah……. HAPPY HANUKKA!

[dennisw]

Thanks and may Israel, with G_d's help, repel the Jihadists who would destroy Israel

[rintense]

Happy HANUKKAH to all our Jewish freepers!

[fortunecookie]

HAPPY HANUKKAH to all our Jewish freeper friends!!

As an aside, I am of Eastern Euro & Russian descent (4 immigrant grandparents) and many of these recipes are similar to one's I make and remember and a couple - the Babka & the jelly doughnuts - are foods from my childhood that I have no authentic recipe for. They sound delicious and remind me of my childhood & Baba and I can't wait to try them!! Thanks!!

[tubebender]

My wife does a Choice Boneless Rib Roast for Christmas. She orders a whole roast from a local wholesaler and they season it with a dry rub and seal it in Cryovac. What can you tell us about aging beef and its effect on the meat and also the grades. Also what is the best cut to roast...

[hattend]

BTTT, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah!

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Gut yontev! Holiday blessings, to all my Free Republic friends, Jews and non-Jews alike! Mir zolen zich bagegenen ahf simches! :)

[wardaddy]

Happy Chanukah! Ya'll!!

[FrogMom]

And a HAPPY HANUKKAH to you, too!

Hugs,
FrogMom and FrogFamily