How do you make a dreidel?

Answer 1

Dreidel is quite easy and is a fun game to play on Hanukkah.

The way to play it is with a four-sided top called a Dreidel, with the Hebrew letters:

nun (× )

gimel (×’)

he, pron. "hey" (×”)

shin (ש)

These letters are an acronym for "Nes Gadol Hayeh Shem" (A great miracle happened there) in Hebrew. In Israel, the dreidels are printed with a peh (פ), for "Nes Gadol Hayeh Po" (a great miracle happened here).

To play dreidel

Each person takes turns spinning the top and looking at the symbol on the face-up side. (usually there is light betting with chocolate coins, candies, or pennies).

gimel = the person gets the entire pot

nun = the person gets nothing

he = the person takes half of the pot

shin (or peh/pe on Israeli dreidels) = the person puts one coin in the pot.

This happens in rotation of players ad infinitum.
nun=nothing. the next player spins.

gimmel=all. the player who spun takes the whole pot.

hay=the player takes half of the pot.

shin=the player has to shell out two coins and put them in the pot.

Answer 2

First a description of a dreidel :

• A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top used in a child's gambling game.
• Each side of the dreidel bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet: נ (Nun), ג(Gimel), ה (Hei), ש (Shin)
• Nun stands for nite("nothing"), Hei stands for halb ("half"), Gimel for gants ("all"), and Shin for shteln ("put") except in Israel where the fourth side of most dreidels are inscribed with the letter פ (Pei)

Assuming that you know you spin the dreidel and spinner puts in or takes out corners or candy based on the side that is up

a) If nun is facing up, the player does nothing.

b) If gimmel is facing up, the player gets everything in the pot.

c) If hey is facing up, the player gets half of the pieces in the pot. (If there is an odd number, they get half of the total plus one)

d) If shin (or peh) is facing up, the player adds a game piece to the pot.

So to make a dreidel you can:

• Sharpen one end of a a square wooden rod (the spinning end contacting the ground and inset a dowel into the other end to twist and set it spinninnin
• Or make clay shape similar to a sharpened wooden block
• Or use a square piece of paper with a dowel stach trough it and glue to hold it in place.

Having done this write the Hebrew letters on each side, or the phoneic equivalent, or the English equivalent.