Dreidel Discoveries
By Dani'el Rendelman
Emet Ministries
To listen to an audio version of this teaching CLICK HERE.
This teaching will explain the miracle of Chanukah and the significance of the Chanukah spinning top called a "dreidel." This article will uncover insights about the end of days, the abundant life, the prophecied Messiah, and spiritual warfare.
Hanukkah is an eight-day festival, commemorating the historic victory of the Maccabee family over the Syrian tyrant, Antiochus, in the 2nd century B.C. Before the ruler conquered Jerusalem he and his people championed the cause of hellenization. In other words, Antiochus is trying to make all the people of his kingdom like the rest of the Greeks. His cause is to conquer the minds' of the people and make them live like the 'civilized' Greek world. His goal was to conquer the Hebrews by having them assimilate into the nations. To help his actions, he destroyed the Temple. He forbade the Hebrews to circumcise their sons. He stopped Sabbath worship. He even required the new brides to spend the night with a Greek general before any marriage took place. He sacrificed a pig on the altar and put to death any Jewish people who dared to observe the commands of Torah.
Antiochus wanted to destroy the righteous seed of the Jewish people. He pushed them to mix or assimilate into the normal culture. Some chose to follow his push while others kept to their Torah obedience. It is the Torah that sets us apart from the world. The Torah is totally opposite to the ways of the world. Saturday Sabbath keeping, kosher eating, and wearing head coverings are contrary to society.
When Antiochus persecuted many Hebrews quietly gave in to the ways of the King. They compromised their beliefs by departing from the true faith and accepting the many Elohims of Greece. Instead of fighting back they gave in as they traded their tallits for togas.
Judah Maccabee, son of Mattathias, an Hasmonean priest, lead a revolt against this man and his Hellenistic oppression. Noted for courage and military genius, Judah led an outnumbered, unskilled guerilla army to a decided victory over superior Syrian forces. Upon entering the Temple they found it to be in disarray. This area of Biblical worship had been desecrated and destroyed. So, they began the tedious task of setting up the sanctuary in the prescribed way. They remade certain items that were missing, they washed dirty utensils, they cleaned the whole place and set a date to set it apart and re-dedicate the temple to YHWH. Their celebration was to be eight days of prayer and worship during which they would consecrate the place to YHWH.
The story is told that when the priests went to light the Menorah that stands in the holy place, they did not have enough set apart oil to last for the whole feast. The priests trusted YHWH and the oil burned for eight days. This was just long enough to consecrate new oil as prescribed by the Torah. The Temple was dedicated to YHWH for 8 days. In Hebrew the word for dedication is "Chanukah." It is from these events that have the Festival of Chanukah as celebrated Jewish people for over 2,000 years. Chanukah was even observed by our Messiah Y'shua in John 10.
Judah Maccabee has become a popular folk hero, a symbol of religious freedom and national liberation. The hero of Hanukkah plays, poems, and songs, he is considered a type of the Jewish warrior in modern Israel, he symbolizes many military victories over great odds. Tradition interprets the name "Maccabee" to mean "hammer," a symbol of Judah's might and the power of the Israeli people.
A special 9 branched Chanukah menorah has been created to symbolize the miracle of oil. One candle is traditionally lit each night. The light of the menorah grows as Chanukah is celebrated. The oil miracle may be a fable but we do know that the people had to have used the Temple menorah when they dedicated the Temple. From the miracle of the oil comes the tradition of lighting the 9 branched chanukiah and eating fried foods like potato pancakes called "latkes." Gifts are exchanged and chocolate coins in golden foil called "gelt" are used at this time. Of course one Chanukah tradition that delights people of all ages is the dreidel. The dreidel is a spinning top with Hebrew letters on its four sides. The toy is spun and gelt can be exchanged in various games. The song "I have a little dreidel" is one of those tunes that can get caught in a person's head very easily. It's a tune known by people throughout the world and is often times synonymous for Chanukah. As "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" is to Christmas so "I have a little dreidel" is to Chanukah.
Don't be fooled though, the dreidel is no ordinary toy. For this little top has many deep spiritual insights for us if we will simply watch it spin. The rabbis have said that "The prophets are like children and the children are like prophets." This shows us that if we can simply view the world as little children then there are many spiritual principles that we can learn.
The dreidel doesn't look special. Most are made from wood (not clay). And most are basically a square block with Hebrew letters and a pointed bottom. The four letters found on the dreidel are the nun - gimel - hey - shin.
The dreidel was first used many years ago when the Hebrew people faced harsh persecution from King Antiochus. The evil ruler forbid the study of Torah. Believers would meet secretly to discuss the Torah portions in defiance to the ban. Syrian officers would raid the meetings or watch the gathering. The Jewish people would study hidden Torah scrolls when the enemy wasn't look. When the enemy did watch or raid the gatherings, the Hebrews would simply pull out their dreidel and take it for a spin. They weren't gambling. Instead they would play as if they were playing. The dreidel didn't start as a children's game. Instead this spinning top was used to aide the study and discussion of Torah.
Adults would spin the dreidel and then view the letter that fell on top. They would then use that letter to determine the subject of their Torah discussion. If the sevivon landed on "nun" then perhaps their midrash would be on the "ner tamid" or "everlasting light." If the top fell on "shin" then maybe they spoke of the "shekinah" glory or "shalom" or even the prophesied Messiah that would come from "Shiloh."
The people back then didn't have modern entertainment to consume their time. Instead they engrossed their lives in their faith. They new Torah and Tanakh so well that by simply viewing one letter they could recall passages of scripture and recite the glory of YHWH. May we return to such a love and knowledge of YHWH's word. May this simple toy become a symbol of our devotion to raise our awareness of the Torah.
We are told that during the time of this persecution by the Greek armies that the dreidel led to the development of what is called the "Haftarah" portion of Scripture. Before the time of Y'shua the Hebrew set up a yearly reading schedule that would include the first five books of the Bible. When the Greek army forbade the possessions of Torah scrolls, the Rabbis used the letters on the dreidel to remind them of what Torah portion they should have discussed on that specific week. The spiritual leaders then found sections from the scrolls of the Prophets that corresponded to the specific Torah portion. This section of reading from the Prophetic writings is called the "Haftarah" and is still read on the Sabbath in synagogues today. As believers in Y'shua we add a Messianic portion from the Newer Testament to our reading schedule.
Who would have thought that the little dreidel would lead to our reading and discussion of YHWH's word? This shows the spiritual power of this toy. This is a symbol of freedom. Just think about how throughout history, children of all cultures have been fascinated by spinning tops. It just so happens that the Jewish top is square and has Hebrew letters! Let's allow this fascination to develop in as we look to this sevivon today.
As we learn from the dreidel may we be as Y'shua said and come unto Him with the faith of a young child. May we never view the dreidel the same again.
As stated previously, the sevivon has four Hebrew letters that together represent the sentence "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" which means "A Great Miracle Happened There." Each of the letters on the toy are highly symbolic as the sevivon is symbolic of our existence. We are constantly spinning to get ahead; spinning to make a difference; spinning to just pay our bills; spinning so we don't fall down. The letters of the dreidel also spell out four attributes of humanity.
The Nun is symbolic of the nefesh. The nefesh is your soulish desires. These impulses will pull you away from YHWH and into an existence of selfishness.
"Don't you know that to whom you yield yourselves slaves to obey, its servant you become? Whether a slave of sin unto death or a slave of obedience unto righteousness," Romans 6:16.
The Gimel stands for the "guf." This is your body and physical needs. YHWH has promised to meet all of our needs. We should not worry about what we will eat or how we will cloth ourselves. "YHWH shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory," Philippians 4:19. The sparrows take no thought of themselves and are protected by YHWH. We are worth more than the bird! We should also guard against the guf. We must not allow the appetites of our body to control us. The book of Proverbs says to "Put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony." Over indulgence is one of the seven deadly sins. As believers in Y'shua we must bring our cravings under subjection and be satisfied with what we have.
The Shin is the first letter of "sheche" or "reason." Your mind and intellect must be conformed to YHWH's word. Romans 12:1-2 say to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Our intellect must shadow the Torah. It's a Jewish tradition to ask "why" about anything. There's nothing wrong with the "why" question. However, we must look to the Scriptures for our answers and not allow the power of reason to push us away from faith.
The Hey is for "hakol" which means "the all." Everything must be given over to YHWH - your good days and your bad days. Life is a lot like a dreidel - you spin around a lot and then you fall down! Seriously, Y'shua repeated the verses from Deuteronomy 6:5 when He said the greatest commandment is to love him with the four sides of the dreidel. "You shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might" encompasses hakol. Everything must center around our desire to walk in the Spirit. What is stopping you from showing love, joy, or mercy?
When the dreidel spins you can not distinguish between the letters. Our lives our spent trying to bring these areas under subjection so that we don't focus on our perceptions, desires, or bodily wants. Instead we should reflect our Master Y'shua in all that we do. Such holiness is not easy. It takes daily work and daily growth to ascend to be completely one / echad with YHWH. Yet we can accomplish this through abiding in Him. John 15.
The letters of the dreidel numerically spell a certain word as well. In Hebrew each letter is given a numerical meaning. For example, "aleph" is the first letter and the number one. With the Hebrew alphabet letters are numbers and letters are signs. The study of Hebrew letters is called "gematria." In gematria each Hebrew letter is assigned a number. An interesting insight about Gematria is that if two words have the same number, there is a connection. One web site says "gematria is the calculation of the numerical equivalence of letters, words, or phrases, and, on that basis, gaining, insight into interrelation of different concepts and exploring the interrelationship between words and ideas." The letters and numbers on the dreidel tell us powerful story.
Nun = 50
Gimel = 3
Hey = 5
Sin = 300
50 + 3 + 5 + 300 = 358
The number 358 is widely known in Hebrew to be the number of the serpent. 358 is the numerical of the Hebrew word "nechash" or "serpent." The snake of course is symbolic of evil and rebellion. Adam and Chava (Eve) were tempted by the serpent and eventually sinned. A messianic prophecy was given that "he will bruise your heal but you break his head." From that time forward, the dragon waged a vicious war against the seed of righteousness. The events surrounding the first Chanukah was another attempt to destroy the lineage of Messiah. Ha Satan knew that if he could destroy the Jewish people then the Jewish messiah could not rescue the world. The enemy persecuted, killed, ridiculed, slaughtered, and mocked our ancestors. The Hebraic culture was invaded, the Torah was forbidden, and the Temple was desecrated.
Today, we face the same struggle and the same enemy. John 10:10, "the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy." The dragon wants you to mix the true faith with the culture of the world. He wants us to assimilate into the nations and loose our saltiness. Ha Satan wants us down, depressed, and rendered ineffective for the kingdom. He will try to stop you from studying Torah for here is our life and our hope. The serpent wants you to rebel and fall like Adam.
To exercise your victory and defeat the enemy, simply remember the dreidel. If you need a miracle or a blessing then recognize today that we are more than conquerors through Y'shua. Antiochus and his army might conquer the holy land and trample the temple BUT we are greater than him. We are more than conquerors through Y'shua. The weapons of our warfare are mighty in Y'shua for the pulling down of strongholds.
Just imagine the small band of brothers called the "Maccabee." They are poised to fight the mighty Assyrian army. The Hebrew are outnumber and undertrained. The odds of the Jewish people winning are slim to none. Yet, a great miracle happened there! The remnant conquered the multitude and YHWH came through for a victory. He does the same today.
The serpent might have brought about the fall of Adam.
The snake might have been behind the destruction of the Temple.
And the might want you to fail.
BUT, recognize today that every time the dreidel spins the enemy looses. Each time we take the little top between our fingers the devil looses. Each time we pray in spite of how we feel; each time we love instead of hate; each time we believe and have faith when the situation looks grim, the serpents grip slips. The letters on the dreidel do equal 358, which is the number for "serpent." However, the number 358 us also the sum of another word spelled mem - shin - yod - chet. The Hebrew word "Moshiach" means "anointed one." This shows us that the serpent falls by the Messiah.
Remember that it was Judah Maccabee that led the war against paganism and the desire of the snake to destroy the one true faith. It is from his lineage of the tribe of Judah that the Messiah came to "destroy the works of the devil," 1 John 3:8. Get this! The Moshiach came to destroy what the devil was doing. YHWH wants you well. YHWH wants you at peace. YHWH wants you to have friends. YHWH wants you blessed. YHWH wants your needs met and your life to be full of meaning. YHWH sent Y'shua to destroy the works of the devil in your life! Moshiach came to destroy the works of the nechash. Evil falls when the dreidel spins. We win when the dreidel spins!
Chanukah is connected to the Messiah's power over the serpent in Genesis 46:28. In this section of Scripture we see that Jacob was going to be reunited with Joseph. Jacob / Ya'acov sent his son Judah to prepare the way for Joseph's arrival. 'And Judah was sent before him to Goshen," Genesis 46:28. The Hebrew phrase for "to Goshen" is spelled with the exact letters found on the dreidel! "To Goshen" is gimel - shin - nun - hay. The connection is as clear as our victory...Judah was the son of Joseph who was father of His tribe. Judah the Maccabee was the leader of the righteous rebellion against assimilation. Y'shua is the "lion of the tribe of Judah." The nation of Israel is being brought together again, lust as Judah's efforts restored the family of Jacob. A Judah figure is soon coming back to spin us into the era of the Messianic Kingdom!
The rabbis tell us that the four sides of the dreidel and the four letters are symbolic of the four exiles that have occurred to the Israeli people. Through the years, the enemy has tried to destroy the righteous seed through assimilation and separation from the Land of Israel and ways of YHWH. The first captivity was from Babylon. The end of that 70 year exile brought about the time when the Persians ruled. Haman and his wicked henchmen sought to exterminate the Hebrews. Later the Greeks developed their competitive culture with sporting events and philosophy to sway the Israelites from spirituality.
Finally, the Roman Empire of Edom dominated the people and the destroyed the Temple in 70 AD. These Romans polluted the true faith through mixing church and state through the power of the Roman Catholic Church. Today, we are victims of the Roman exile. This is the last of the four exiles, which points to the end of galut and the restoration of Israel. If the four exiles of the dreidel are over then it is time for Moshiach! This restoration was of utmost importance to Y'shua as we can see in Acts 1:6-8. We are a chosen generation that has been blessed with the opportunity to experience the rebirth of Israel in our lifetime.
The serpent may seek to destroy us and leave us oppressed but we shall continue spinning to have victory. When Messiah returns and splits the Eastern sky over Jerusalem then all of Israel will be restored and the pain will disappear.
The dreidel also points to the end of days and the restoration of the Kingdom of Heaven, as the dates of Chanukah are a prophetic time table. Remember that the dreidel spells "Nes Gadol Haya Sham" which means "A great miracle happened there." Well, in 1948 a long awaited change was made to the dreidel. Those who were celebrating Chanukah in the Middle East could no longer say, "A great miracle happened there." They were "there!" The Jewish people had a homeland once again.
So, the Rabbis changed the dreidel to display a new saying. Now, for those in the land of Israel, the dreidel has the letters nun - gimel- shin - pey. Now in Israel, the dreidel spells - "A great miracle happened HERE." The miracle of the Macabbean victory happened HERE! The dreidel points to many miracles that have taken place in Eretz Israel including the Macabeean victory, the resurrection of Y'shua, and the rebirth of the nation.
The restoration of Israel as a sovereign nation was THE sign of all signs that we are living in the end of days. The exile from the land was over, the dreidel was changed, and Chanukah would never be the same. Blessed are those who recognize the importance of this event!
Many think of 1948 as the time when Israel became a nation. That is partially true as in May of 1948 the nation of Israel was recognized by the United Nations. However, the decree for the state's founding was made on November 29, 1947. The commandment went forth in 1947 as prophesied in the scriptures to start the countdown to possible tribulation.
Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show [thee]; for thou [art] greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision
Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (69 weeks / years)
To understand these verses in Daniel we must simple allow the simplicity of the Hebrew Scriptures to speak to us today. Daniel is told that 70 weeks are given to make an end of sin and to anoint the most Holy. When these weeks are over the Most High will be anointed and their will be no sin. There is a 70 week period until YHWH's rest. IF we can determine how long these "weeks" are in time and if we can determine a starting point for the weeks, then we can understand when Y'shua might allow the Kingdom of Israel to be restored.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The above verse is one of the most misunderstood passages in the entire scripture. Some say the 70 weeks are "this" while others say they are "that." To grasp how long these weeks are we must return to the original Hebrew. The word for "weeks" in these passages is the term "shabuwa" which means a period of seven. This term points directly to the days of the week and the Feast of Weeks called "Shavuot." In the Hebrew this passage literally read "Seventy Shavuots are determind..." There will be 70 Shavuots until the Almighty's rest.
In verse 25 we are told that from the going forth of a commandment to restore will be seven week, threescore and two (69 Yrs) unto the Messiah. Now YHWH has revealed the starting point is a commandment to restore Jerusalem. From the time this commandment is given to restore until the restoration of the Kingdom will be a total of 69 years:
Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (69 weeks)
Next, in verse 26, Daniel is told from this same starting point (commandment to restore) the years will come and go until 3 score and 2 weeks have passed (62 yrs). Sometime after this 62yr period has passed, the sanctuary will be destroyed by the prince of the people (the antichrist). Notice the period left from the 62-year marker to the 69-year marker just happens to leave a remaining 7-year period:
Daniel 9:26 And AFTER threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
This means the difference between the 62yr prophecy and the 69yr prophecy shows us the beginning of a 7-year period that is known as Daniel's prophetic week.
So, from one starting point there will be 70 Shavuots or 70 years until the time of YHWH's rest. From this same starting point will be 62 weeks until the time of Tribulation and 69 weeks until the time of the return of Y'shua.
The Chanukkah story helps us determine the starting point of this counting and thus understand a possible year for Y'shua's mighty return to establish His kingdom. It was during the month of Kislev (the time of Chanukkah) that the original commandment went forth to develop the state of Israel. On November 29, 1947 the United Nations issued a decree that reestablished the Land of Israel as Jewish property. This is amazing but this is just the start of our discovery.
Deuteronomy 4:27-28,30-31 27And YHWH shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither YHWH shall lead you. 28And there ye shall serve Elohims, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, if thou turn to YHWH thy Elohim, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; 31(For YHWH thy Elohim [is] a merciful Elohim;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
Jeremiah 24:2-5, "One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe: and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad. 3Then said YHWH unto me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? And I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil. 4Again the word of YHWH came unto me, saying, 5Thus saith YHWH, the Elohim of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good."
Israel is the fig tree that is being restored. The return of the Jewish people to their land is THE sign of the end of day.
Matthew 24:32-33, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."
Isaiah 49:6, "Is it too small a thing that You should be my servant; To raise up the tribes of Jacob; And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give you as light to the Nations"
The prophetic timetables come alive as the Jewish people returned to their Land. In Matthew 24:34, Y'shua said that "this generation should not pass until all these things be fulfilled." How long is a generation? A Biblical generation is usually 40, 50, 70, or 100 years. Could the years from the restoration of Israel point to the return of the restoration of the two houses of Israel and the eventual final defeat of the serpent by the Messiah? This is a final Chanukah connection that points to the possible restoration of the kingdom of Israel around 2017.
We know that Y'shua didn't return 40 years after 1947 when the commandment went forth or 1967 when Jerusalem became the capital of the Jewish state.
A generation could be a 50 year jubilee. Well, simply add 50 years to 1967 when Jerusalem was made the capital of Israel again and arrive at 2017. The events of the Six Day war in 1967 are vitally important to prophecy.
A generation could be 70 years. Well, simply add 70 years to 1947 and arrive at 2017. Remember that the commandment went forth for Israel to become a nation in 1947.
A generation could be 100 years. Well, simply add 100 years to 1917 and arrive at 2017. The year 1917 is important as it directly relates to both Israel and Chanukah.
It was during the festival of Chanukah in 1917 that British General Allenby led his outnumbered soldiers to victory for the land of Israel. Chanukah 1917 marked the end to the Islamic Ottoman Empire and the hope of a Jewish state. The Balfour Declaration was issued, recognizing the first steps to returning the Land to Jewish hands. This is another example of the commandment going forth and the restoration of Israel during the same generation.
These are no coincidences as the dreidel spells out for us a possible timeline of some end time events. The realization that time is short teaches us that we should not be busy spinning our own tops and doing our own thing as we await the Kingdom. Instead, we should learn from the dreidel and seek a true Chanukah dedication to His will and His ways. One final lesson to learn from the dreidel is that of balance. The dreidel falls because it is not balanced. Our faith will also falter if we focus on certain aspects without considering the whole. We must seek to walk in spirit and in truth. We must know the letter of the Law and flow in the spirit of the Law. We should balance faith and works. Our actions must be full of justice and mercy. As the days get closer to the return of Messiah we must use balance as guiding force. Hosea 3:5 says that during the next few years we shall "come trembling to YHWH and to His blessing in the last days." We should not be fearful of the end but have a balanced understanding. YHWH's will for us during these days is to "tremble" and be a 'blessing."
"But the day of the Master YHWH will come as a thief in the night; in which the shamayim shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are in it shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons should you be in all kadosh conduct and Shabbat-guarding piety, Looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the Yom YHWH, in which the shamayim being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat! 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for renewed shamayim and a renewed olam, where tzedekah dwells," 2 Peter 3:10-13. Our walk should be one of holiness and blessing. We should be guarding the Shabbat and teaching others of the love of Messiah.
We should pray and plan. We must resist the urge to assimilate into the nations. Chanukah and the dreidel reminds us of YHWH's plan for man and the promise of the returning Messiah to destroy the works of the devil. Come quickly Master Y'shua!
Sincerely, 
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