A Few Spins on the Dreidel
Adiel lo, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
When we think of Chanukah, first is the Menorah or Chanukiah, then the food – maybe sufganiyot or latkes - then the dreidel, or sevivon.
A quick search for designer dreidel images shows you just how many, varied, and beautiful dreidel designs can be. Judy and her husband began a tradition of buying a dreidel every year for their youngest son (https://www.jewjubox.ca/blog/a-little-dreidel-tradition), and each is unique and beautiful.
The Origins
Like so much of the Chanukah story, what we grew up believing isn’t necessarily the true – or whole – story. You may have heard that rabbis or children used to disguise their gatherings for study by playing dreidel when approached, which dates back to the 1890's. But games very similar to the Dreidel game have been played for centuries in different countries. The English and Irish, for example, had a game called Teetotum, or T-Totum as far back as the 1500’s, with English letters signifying “Take” “Half”, “Put Down” and “Nothing”.
You can read more about the Dreidel’s origins at My Jewish Learning, https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-origin-of-the-dreidel/ and at Shalom Says Hello https://shalommorris.com/2015/12/12/the-sephardi-origins-of-the-dreidel .
Superlatives
Estate Diamond Jewelry, CC BY 4.0via Wikimedia Commons
According to the Guinness Book of Records, Estate Diamond Jewelry in New York created the world’s most valuable dreidel, valued at $70,000 US. It’s constructed of 18K gold (white and gold), and features a 4.2 carat diamond tip, and 222 smaller diamonds fill the letters. (https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2019/12/new-york-city-jewelers-create-the-worlds-most-valuable-dreidel-603302) .
The previous record holder for world’s most valuable dreidel
They beat out the previous record held by Chabad in South Palm Beach, valued at $14,000 in 2015. The Chabad dreidel and is replete with diamonds and hanging gems, with a diamond point,. http://lubavitch.com/news/article/2056271/Guinness-World-Record-Certifies-World-s-Most-Valuable-Dreidel.html
Scouts in Ramat Gan unveil the world's largest dreidel during a 2014 Hanukkah ceremony (photo credit: Anat Sudai Alaloof)
The Scouts of Ramat Gan seem to hold the current record for the tallest dreidel. A brief article and picture are here. https://www.timesofisrael.com/scouts-break-guinness-dreidel-record/
The longest dreidel spin is currently 35.8 seconds. Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3E2p16B7RMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3E2p16B7RM
There is a small controversy over the most number of people spinning a dreidel at once. 1000 people participated in a massive dreidel spin in Tel Aviv in 2015: watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vz9V7tZB-Ahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vz9V7tZB-A . However, the Guinness World Records people qualify it as “The most dreidles spinning simultaneously for at least 10 seconds”, and give the record to 734 people, set by United Synagogue Youth in 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Game
Do you play the Dreidel game? Do you have other games you play with it? The “officlal” game is played like this. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-to-play-dreidel/
Ben Blatt at Slate magazine suggested an innovation to speed up the game – it can get quite tedious after a while – that involves everyone spinning a dreidel at the same time, rather than one at a time. You can read the rules in depth, and also his computation of how long an “authentic” game takes, compared to how long his “Speed Dreidel” lasts. You can read the article and his rules here: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/holidays/2014/12/rules_of_dreidel_the_hannukah_game_is_way_too_slow_let_s_speed_it_up.html
We used to like racing to see who could spin the longest – essentially, a dreidel race. Judy designed a teaching game involving a construction-paper Chanukiah with magnets where the candles go, and paper candles with paper clips attached. The letters are instructions: Add a candle, take off a candle, and so on, and the first person to fill their Chanukiah would win.
Do you play Dreidel? How?