Hanukkah’s beauty lies in its quiet simplicity, far removed from the rush of the holiday season. I love the ritual of lighting the menorah where the candles grows brighter each night. The joy is found in the small things like the playful thrill of a dreidel game around the kitchen table, and the savory, golden crunch of fresh latkes and jelly donuts called Sufganiyot. It is a celebration that doesn’t need much—just light, family, and the enduring comfort of tradition.I especially love the simple game of dreidel. I would have loved playing this as a child! I’m sure my brother and I would have found a way to fight over it but I’m sure it would have brought lots of joy as well. It’s Nothing fancy, all you need is a dreidel and pieces of anything, traditionally gelt or chocolate coins. But you can use real coins or whatever you have on hand. I like to keep a little set up near by so at anytime anyone can enjoy a quick game.
Playing dreidel involves spinning a four-sided top to win tokens, such as chocolate gelt or pennies, from a central pot.
Setup
- Distribute Tokens: Give each player 10–15 game pieces (e.g., gelt, nuts, or raisins).
- Create the Pot: Every player puts one token into the center to start.
- Turn Order: Players spin the dreidel; the “highest” letter (Nun > Gimel > Hey > Shin) goes first.
How to Play
On your turn, spin the dreidel once. Follow the action for the letter facing up when it stops:
- נ (Nun): “Nischt” (Nothing) — Do nothing.
- ג (Gimel): “Gantz” (Everything) — Take the whole pot.
- ה (Hey): “Halb” (Half) — Take half-the pot (round up for odd numbers).
- ש (Shin): “Shtel” (Put in) — Put one token into the pot.
Rules for the Pot
- Replenishing: If the pot is empty or has only one token left, every player must add one token before the next spin.
- Ending the Game: Play continues until one person has won all the tokens, or you can set a timer and declare the person with the most tokens the winner.
And so he did the next day while eating olives and using a toothpick as a pointer. Whatever works!!
