Shabbat Mikeitz 5768 - 28 Kislev / Dec 7,8
The dreidel has evolved from the humble clay or wood version that many of us hand-crafted as children, to the "hi-tech" multi-media version, replete with lights and musical accompaniment, that can be now be found on shop shelves and in many homes. Move aside plasma screens, the dreidel is the way to go.
But as in Judaism in general, embracing the future never comes at the expense of forsaking the past. Even today's ultra-modern dreidels still sport those old Jewish letters: Nun, Gimmel, Hay, Shin.
What's the significance of these letters, and why do they specifically appear on the dreidel?
Many answers have been given for this, but today I will focus on an explanation which, while deeply mystical, is poignantly relevant.
You see, the dreidel tells the story of both the history of the world and its ultimate purpose.
The famous Rabbi Lowe of Prague, and following in his footsteps, the well-known Chassidic author of Bnei Yissoschor, explain that the human being is essentially comprised of three elements: Body, Soul and Intellect. In Hebrew these are called Guf, Nefesh and Sechel.
They further explain that the history of the world's empires can be roughly divided as follows: Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Each one of these empires attacked the Jewish People and State in a uniquely different way - and each time we prevailed.
The Babylonian Empire attacked the Jewish body (Guf), murdering and massacring, as they destroyed the First Temple and took the Jews as captives to Babylon.
The Persian Empire, known for its promiscuity and licentiousness - the story of Purim tells of Achashverosh's enormous harem - attacked the Jewish People in soul (Nefesh).
The Greek Empire, which produced some of the world's greatest philosophers, attempted to demonstrate (falsely) the incompatibility of Torah with Science and Intellect (Sechel).
Finally, the Roman Empire, utilized all the above four methods (HaKol) - attacks on the Jewish body, attacks on the Jewish soul and attacks on the Jewish intellect - in an attempt to discredit and delegitimize the Torah and Judaism. (The modern world - which is dominated by Western Philosophy - is considered a direct continuation of the Roman Empire.)
These then are what the letters of the dreidel represent:
Gimmel stands for the Jewish body - Guf (Babylon);
Nun stands for the Jewish soul - Nefesh (Persia);
Shin stands for the Jewish intellect - Sechel (Greece);
Hay stands for all the above - HaKol (Rome).
Furthermore, in Hebrew each letter is associated with a numerical value, known as Gematria.
The Gematria of Gimmel, Nun, Shin, Hay is 358.
This is the same Gematria as Nachash - the serpent that seduced Adam and Eve - at the beginning of time. It is also the same Gematria as Moshiach - the Redeemer of the Jewish People at the end of time!
And so the dreidel represents the history of the world from its inception until the end of time. History began with the attempt by the Nachash - the serpent - to seduce Adam and Eve. The serpent then continued its seduction throughout history - in the guise of the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. At the end, however, that serpent (Nachash) will be vanquished by Moshiach.
It's important to note that Nachash and Moshiach are the SAME Gematria - the significance of this is that the victory of Moshiach is not one which precludes the use of the body, soul and intellect. On the contrary, each of these has its place in the service of G-d. We need to serve G-d with a healthy body. Our emotions, including our sex drive, can be used for the greatest acts of holiness. And of course, intellect - especially the advances of science, technology and communication - empower us as individuals and enable the masses to reach spiritual knowledge that was until now unattainable.
As Moshiach approaches, the tools of the Nachash - body, soul and intellect - each of which superficially seem to be in opposition to holiness - must be transformed into a tool to better serve G-d.
Chanukah means "renewal". And Chanukah is a time to find new ways to use all the powers that make us human to achieve our ultimate fulfillment as human beings and bring us closer to G-d and the Redemption of Moshiach.
What a powerful lesson from the humble little dreidel!
With best wishes for a Good Shabbos and a Happy Chanukah! Rabbi Benzion Milecki OAM - 7 December, 2007
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