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Conference taveng::bagels

Title:BAGELS and other things of Jewish interest
Notice:1.0 policy, 280.0 directory, 32.0 registration
Moderator:SMURF::FENSTER
Created:Mon Feb 03 1986
Last Modified:Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1524
Total number of notes:18709

1270.0. "Traditional toys ???s" by BSS::GROVER (The CIRCUIT_MAN) Mon Oct 26 1992 18:17

    I have been commissioned to create some toys of wood. These toys need
    to be of the "traditional Jewish culture"....
    
    I have begun research on this subject, however, there is on toy that I
    would have a hard time researching, due to the fact no one can remember
    the name...
    
    This toy is a "top like" toy that is "kinda square-ish" with a shaft
    through the center... This is the only discription I have... Can anyone
    put a name with this face/device/toy. 
    
    Some have called it a "Dreidle"(sp?)... I am not sure of the
    pronunceation... nor if that is even correct.
    
    Thanks for any help you can give..., in finding information on this
    toy!
    
    I am not of the Jewish faith, so information on any other toy that
    would be considered "traditional" would also be helpful..
    
    Again, many thanks..!!!
        
    Bob G.
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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1270.1A dreidel it is!WILBRY::WASSERMANDeb Wasserman, DTN 264-1863Mon Oct 26 1992 18:465
    Yup, sounds like a dreidle to me (pronouned dray-dle).  It's a
    traditional toy used on Chanukah.  It has four sides, with one
    Hebrew letter on each side.  It's used to play a game whereby you spin
    the dreidel and depending on which letter it lands on, different things
    happen (maybe someone can post the actual rules).
1270.2GOOEY::GVRIEL::SCHOELLERCalendars & Notepads R meMon Oct 26 1992 23:5615
The letters are:

Nun, Gimel, Heh, Shin

The "traditional" explanation is that they are for "Nes gadol Hayah sham",
"a great miracle happened there".  However, a cursory knowlege of Yiddish
and a little history makes it clear that these letters are for the actions
taken and the "meaning" was added later. 

Nun = nit = nothing
Gimel = gans = everything
Heh = halb = half
Shin = shtel = place

Gav
1270.3from the English-speaking chachamimERICG::ERICGEric GoldsteinWed Oct 28 1992 15:1116
.2>                                    However, a cursory knowlege of Yiddish
.2> and a little history makes it clear that these letters are for the actions
.2> taken and the "meaning" was added later. 
.2>
.2> Nun = nit = nothing
.2> Gimel = gans = everything
.2> Heh = halb = half
.2> Shin = shtel = place

For those whose Yiddish is as weak as mine, the following may be easier to
remember:

nun    - nothing
gimmel - Gimme!
heh    - half
shin   - Shit!
1270.4der ganse megillahTNPUBS::STEINHARTLauraWed Oct 28 1992 15:4911
    RE:  -1
    
    Thank you so much for this list.  It is easy to remember.
    
    Actually I like "gans" for gimel.  After our previous rabbi insisted on
    reading the ganse megillah - for real! - on a weekday night Purim with
    dozens of overcharged, overtired kids milling around, the word gans has
    a very vivid meaning for me. :-)
    
    L
    
1270.5more dreidal MR4DEC::RICHWed Oct 28 1992 20:238
    Two short points. Gans in German means goose. Ganz means all or the
    "whole thing".
    
    In Israel they say Nes Gadol Haya Po ( A great miracle happened HERE)
    vs Nes Gadol Haya SHam (a great miracle happeded THERE) and I believe
    Israeli dreidals (dreidlot?) have a peh instead of a shin.
    
    Neil
1270.6GOOEY::GVRIEL::SCHOELLERCalendars & Notepads R meWed Oct 28 1992 20:3713
Ich spreche sehr gut Deutsch.  Aber man mu� erinnern, zwei Dinge.  1. J�disch
ist nicht Deutsch und es gibt kleine Unterschiede zwischen die Aussprachen der
zwei Sprachen.  2. Um J�disch in Englisch zu transkribieren benutzt man normale-
weise die deutsche Buchstabierung nicht.  8^{)

And in English:

I can speak German quite well.  But one must remember 2 things.  1.  Yiddish
is not German and there are slight differences in pronunciation between the
two languages.  2.  You don't normally use the German spellings when
transliterating from Yiddish to English.

Gav