THIS JEW ON CHRISTMAS EVE (I AM NOT ALONE)

CHRISTMAS, it is late or early and the house is very silent. 

Silent Night is a famous Christmas song.  It is a tradition for many to sing it on Christmas eve. Here are some of the lyrics that were written in 1816 by a young priest in Austria, Joseph Mohr.  

"Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright. 'Round yon Virgin Mother and Child, Holy Infant so tender and mild. Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night! Shepherds quake at the sight! Glories stream from heaven afar, heavenly hosts sing Alleluia! Christ, the Savior is born, Christ, the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love's pure light. Radiant beams from thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth, Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth."

 Holocaust book about the "longest night."

It strikes me as profoundly ironic that when an older Jew hear's the word "Night" in the spiritual context of Christmas, there is a good chance they will think of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. (Kristall is glass, not Christ.) 

The Hebrew word for "how" is Eicha.  Eicha is the Jewish name for the "Book of Lamentations." Eicha (Lamentations) is a theological and prophetic response to the destruction of the First Temple (Beit Hamikdash) in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.(E.). It is believed to have been written by the prophet Jeremiah.

EICHA is not concerned with the historical details of the destruction, but rather with larger theological questions: Why did God, who had once been Israel’s redeemer, acquiesce to the destruction of His holy city and temple? Why is God’s love no longer evident? How can it be that “the city that was full of people” now “dwells alone” In Lamentations 1:1, the first word in Hebrew, Eicha, is the basis for the name of the book.

On Christmas Eve, which coincided with the 7th Night of Hanukkah this year, I went to a Christmas Eve dinner. I brought my Hanukkiah (menorah) along and lit it before dinner. At dinner, one of guests said that on Christmas it was tradition for him and his friends to get together and sing "War Pigs." 

I recognized the song because it is by one the most famous 1970's heavy metal rock bands. Black Sabbath, War Pigs, is sung by the iconic Ozzy Ozborne.

War Pigs is reputed to be an anti-war anthem. Originally, “War Pigs” was titled “Walpurgis” after the Christian feast of Walpurgis Night. But according to song's principle lyricist and the band original bassist, Geezer Butler, in a 2010 interview with Noisecreep, Walpurgis is essentially “Christmas for Satanists.” Here are the lyrics:

Generals gathered in their masses

Just like witches at black masses

Evil minds that plot destruction

Sorcerers of death's construction

In the fields the bodies burning

As the war machine keeps turning

Death and hatred to mankind

Poisoning their brainwashed minds

Oh Lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away

They only started the war

Why should they go out to fight?

They leave that all to the poor, yeah

Time will tell on their power minds

Making war just for fun

Treating people just like pawns in chess

Wait till their judgment day comes, yeah!

No more war pigs have the power

Hand of God has struck the hour

Day of Judgment God is calling

On their knees the war pigs crawling

Begging mercies for their sins

Satan laughing spreads his wings

Oh Lord yeah

The band's name, Black Sabbath, conjures up images of a Black Mass.  A Black Mass is a ceremony which celebrates death and destruction held by various Satanic groups over the centuries. It is intentionally sacrilegious and a blasphemous mockery of a Catholic Mass.

War Pigs is possibly the magnum opus of Black Sabbath. The lyrics provide an image of burning bodies ignored by the unstoppable war machine bringing death and hatred to all the land.  The generals and politicians who bring war face judgement in the end, but Satan laughs and appears to fly off. It is as though Satan leaves a trail of death and destruction throughout history; corrupting the minds of all who aren’t strong enough to resist Satan's sorcery

Interestingly, in the Hebrew Talmud, Jesus is accused by the pharises of being a sorcerer.  The New Testamant, essentially confirms this in Matthew 12:24, "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."

There is perhaps no greater trail of death and destruction than the tragic events through history associated with Jews and Tisha B'Av. Jews have asked themselves for thousands of years, HOW could so many tragic events in history befall us. Eicha reverberates throughout history.  In Jeremiah's time they asked "how" God could have allowed for the destruction of the first temple. In my time, Jews ask how the Holocaust could have happened. 

On Christmas Eve, when Christians sing Silent Night, this Jew, me, am reminded of the "Longest Night," the Holocaust. I am not alone. The question has to be asked. How could the Austrians that gave us Silent Night, have also given us Hitler and the Holocaust?  Eicha? 

While Jews and Christians have different beliefs about the Messiah, they do both believe in a Messiah. Jews and Christians both believe in the "Shield of David" -- God's protection of his chosen people. Jews and Christians both believe that sin is disobedience. But when it comes to evil influence in the world, Jews and Christians diverge. Each answer the question of "How" very differently. Jews believe in Man's "evil inclination" which is called "yetza hara" in Hebrew. Christians take evil a step further with the belief in a super natural force of evil -- a fallen Angel called Lucifer, otherwise known as Satan. 

If Satan does exist, then War Pigs seems to hit the nail on the head in. Satan laughing spreads his wings.

In these times, very religious Jews and Christians see many signs that the scriptures prophesied of. Both are watching for the Messiah. Christians expect to see the anti-Christ first. Time will tell if there is a Satan. Then, we will all see who the Messiah is and whether he is pierced. 

Fear the Lord. Merry Christmas. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline." Proverbs 1.7

HANUKKAH HAPPENED

As we celebrate the Light, let us also remember the warriors who fought and died to keep the Light burning. 

The First and Second Books of Maccabees are the most detailed accounts of the battles of Judah Maccabee and his brothers for the liberation of Judea from foreign domination. The military prowess of Judah Maccabee, the Hammer, is legendary. To put it bluntly and crudely, the Maccabees were bad-@$$ warriors! 

A statue of Judah Maccabee can be found at the United States Military Academy, a symbol of his influence as a warrior on George Washington and subsequent officers of the United States Army.  Below is a picture of West Point Cadets claiming their heritage.  

The Books of Maccabees are the earliest historical account of the rededication of the Temple. Hanukkah is Hebrew for dedicate. You could say the Maccabees hanukkah'ed' the Temple. 

Yet, these books are missing from the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh. There is some debate about why.  Nonetheless, while the original Books were written in Hebrew, the Hebrew books were lost to the Jewish world for many centuries.

Hanukkah is the only holiday in the Jewish calendar that does not have a corresponding mishnaic tractate. 

Ironically, the Books of Maccabees survived because they were translated to Greek and became part of the Christian canon. 

Interestingly, there is renewed interest in these texts in the Jewish community. "Students of Jewish history and Jewish literature recognize the value of these documents that took such pains to record details, events and personalities of a major period in Jewish history."

Jews will find something more in Maccabes; Something which is common in the Christian mindset, but not a theme in the Jewish mindset. Maccabees, particularly the 2nd book, was quite vivid about the belief in resurrection. 

Judah Maccabeus and his brothers were zealous Jews of the priestly Levite tribe. They fought with complete faith that they would be victorious in death. It is impossible to read the story of the "Mother and Her Seven Sons" in Maccabees II and not be moved by their faithfulness and confidence in resurrection.  (Link to story. Warning: It is a downright gruesome story.)

The holiday of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, brings Jew and Christian together. It is a holiday we both can celebrate. After all, we both want to bring more Light into the World.  

You say December, we say Kislev, but we both celebrate on the 25th!  The 25th of December on the Gregorian calendar is the 359th day. 359 is the numeric value of the word Messiah in Aramaic, the predominant language at the time of Jesus. 

P.S. Light is a common theme with other religions. Diwali (also spelled Divali), the festival of lights, is one of the major holidays of Hinduism and is also celebrated in Jainism and Sikhism.

CHET -- 8

Chet is the 8th letter in Hebrew alpha-bet. It gematria value is 8. 

The number eight in Hebrew is shemonah (שְׁמֹנֶה). The letter chet (ח) also represents the number eight.

The word Hanukkah means "dedicate." While the holiday of Hanukkah is not in the Torah, the word hanukkah (dedicate) is found throughout the bible. 

A major theme of the Hanukkah holiday is the number eight - 8 nights, 8 lights. Do we find the concept of dedication and the number 8 associated with one another in the bible? What else is associated with "dedication" in the bible? 

The eighth letter of the Hebrew alef-beyt (alphabet) is the letter "chet" ח. It is said that the letter chet is the fusion of two letters: the vav and the zayin with a bridge that unites the two.  Think of the fusion as a marriage. In Jewish tradition when two people dedicate themselves to one another, it takes place under a chuppah (חוּפָּה), symbolic of God's presence. The Chuppah חוּפָּה begins with the letter chet (8) and ends with פה, which is the word "here." The shape of a chuppah even looks like the letter ח.

If that marriage produces a baby boy, the Jewish child will have a bris on the 8th day. Bris means covenant (agreement or promise). It is a sign of dedication to God.  

In the time of the Maccabees, the Greek Selucide King built a gymnasium where men competed in the nude so it could be seen which men were circumcised and thus dedicated to Judaism.

The first born is dedicated to God on the 8th day in Exodus 22.29 where the Torah says, "On the eight day So shall you do with your cattle and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother, on the eighth day you may give it to Me."

In Leviticus 9.1 God summoned Moses and Aaron to make sacrafices of dedication. "And it was on the eighth day, that Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel."

In 1 Samuel 16.10 it says "And Jesse presented his seven sons before Samuel; and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen these."" It was the eighth son, David, who was to be annointed King. David would dedicate his life to serving the Lord. 

Psalm 8 speaks to the what David understands. In Psalm 8.10, another great number, David declares, 

"O Lord, our Master, how mighty is Your name in all the earth!"

The number 8 and the letter Chet ח have significance throughout the bible but there is one man whose name actually comes from the same root word as Hanukkah. Enoch's name means "dedicated," "trained" and disciplined." Enoch is believed to have been taken up to God. It says in Genesis 5.24 "Enoch walked with God, and he was no longer, for God had taken him."

If we are thinking about the #8 in a New Testament context, we might consider what happens after Revelation chapter 8 and after the 7th seal and 7th Trumpet is sounded. 

"The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up." 

Other related blog posts:

• Chet (8) and the Supernatural 
• Miracle of Miracles 

THE MORIAH PLANT

 

The Moriah plant growing on Mount Moriah. It releases it's fragrance in the heat of the day. 

It says in Exodus 30:7-8 that Aaron shall burn fragrant incense; every morning when he tends to the Temple Menorah, "he shall burn the incense, and when he lights the lamps between dusk and dark, he shall burn the incense; so there shall be a perpetual burning of incense before the Lord for all your generations.”

The temple menorah is explicitly described, in two places in Exodus, chapters 25:31-38 and 37:17-24, with a stem and six branches beaten out of pure gold into one piece and adorned with 22 almond-shaped calyxes with knob and flower.

The "menorah" we light on Hanukkah is distinctly different than the menorah created in the Sinai wilderness for the Tabernacle. On Hanukkah, the Hebrew word meaning "dedication," Jews light the nine-branched candelabra called a "Hannukiah." The temple Menorah has 7 branches. 

After the Greeks desecrated the Temple, they prohibited it to make replicas of the Temple’s seven-branched menorah. That is until Juda Maccabius and his brothers fought to win our freedom, rebuild and reconsecrate the temple in Jerusalem. The story of the Books of Maccabees is remembered and told with a "new Menorah," in some sense, a new song. 

Chabad explains why there are straight branches on the New menorah? 

Hannukiot (plural) have eight branches, plus a "Shamash candle." Shamash is Hebrew and means "servant." We light the Shamash candle first and it is used to light the other candles on each of the eight nights. On the first night we light the Shamash and one candle. Each night we light the Servant candle and one additional candle so "the light increases." The candles are loaded from right to left, as you face the Hanukkia but are lit from left to right.  Link to Hanukkah Prayers

Ideally, the Hanukkiah is placed in a window that is publically visible to commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the Selucid Greeks and the purification of the Temple in the year 165 BCE.  The Light of the Hanukkiah, symbolic of the Light of God, his Holy Word, is to go out into the world. 

Famous image of Hanukkiah displayed across from a Nazi headquarters.

On the back of the photograph above is written the following inscription: 

Chanukah 5692 (1932)
"Death to Judah"
So the flag says
"Judah will live forever"
So the light answers

There is no biblical description of the Hanukkiah, and you will find a plethora of modern interpretations in all sorts of shapes and configurations. One of the most traditional shapes looks a lot like a plant in the sage family found in the Sinai desert called the Moriah Plant. It grows on the mountain it is named after. (See photo above.)

The moriah plant is shaped like the menorah and as you can see, the center stem is taller than the four branches on each side. It is a plant releases it's fragrance in the heat of the day. Consider again what it says in Exodus 30:7-8 that Aaron shall burn fragrant incense; every morning when he tends to the Temple Menorah, "he shall burn the incense, and when he lights the lamps between dusk and dark, he shall burn the incense; so there shall be a perpetual burning of incense before the Lord for all your generations.” 

This is one of my favorite Hanukkiah. It is copper or bronze colored and stands quite tall. It can burn either oil or candles sticks. I do burn lamp oil but frankly candles look better/brighter and burn longer. You can see me taking the picture in the reflection of the window. It was a gift to me by a Hassidic Rabbi which makes it special to me. 

Christmas is always on the 25th of December, but Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew calendar month of Kislev. It generally falls in December but not always. This year 5783 (2022), the first day of Hanukkah begins in the evening of Sunday, December 18th and overlaps Christmas. 

Chag Hanukkah Semeach and Merry Christmas.

P.S. Spring, Passover and the true New Year are just around the corner. 

FEAR FOLLOWED BY PANIC

THE WORD FOR 2023 IS "WATER!"

Lake Mead was at 100% capacity in mid-1999. Today it is 28% full. Lake Powell was last full in June 1980, but is at 25% today. 

Freshwater lakes contain over 98% of the important surface water available for human use on the planet. Most other continental waters are contained in glaciers, ice sheets, and groundwater.

New York is blessed with a combination of 7,600 freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs, as well of 70,000 miles of rivers and streams. Also, the northern borders of the state include two of the Great Lakes. 

Alaska is the #1 state with the most naturally formed lakes, containing 3,197 lakes and over 3 million unnamed lakes!

There is SO MUCH that has and will be said about lack of water resources in the US Mid-West, West and around the world. It is a growing crisis.  

PREDICTION:

Alaska will start to supply fresh DRINKING water to California via massive tanker ships. Pipelines will be built in Alaska to facilitate supplying water to ports to fill those ships. . 

Investment ideas flowing!

1. 15 years ago there was talk of this. Daniel Zimmer, executive director of the World Water Council in Marseille, said there was a real prospect that fleets of dedicated tankers could shuttle fresh water for essential supplies of fresh drinking water, rather than low-grade agricultural or industrial use. 

Zimmer said, “We definitely see it increasing. We expect in the future and even in the short-term, before 2050, more frequent heatwaves and dry periods which could make shipping water economically justifiable."

I wonder if some firm will snap up old decommissioned single-hull tankers on the cheap and line them for puropses of transporting fresh water? 

2. Water compression technology. Just wondering... 

3. Israel is brilliant at water conservation and desalinzation. Just wondering ...

Starting with a macro-thesis and then projecting how a trend can lead to economic opportunities is fun thinking for me.

THE OTHER WORDS FOR 2023 IS "MAGNETIC SHIELD!" 

What's key to understand is that the magnetic shield which protects our earth and all of us is weakening rapidly. This is WAY more important than CO2!

By the way, the two (water and magnetic shield) are inter-related in major ways that many will become aware of in 2023. By 2024 I dare say "awareness" will become "fear" . . .  and ultimately "panic."

THE ULTIMATE CONSPIRACY (THEORY)

Binge through this Netflix series. (Or at least watch Episodes 1 and 5.) Then what I have to say below might barely make sense. 🤣   If you're skeptical of Gram Hancock, you're not alone, but not so fast. 

This fits with pole reversal theories. It fits with the theory of a Solar Micro-nova. AND, it sounds a lot like what is prophesied in Revelation.

What makes this so important is the timing. One in terms of the sudden speed by which things happen. Two, in terms of when. It can happen in OUR generation.

Ancient lost cultures built structures, pyraminds and in mountains, with deep chambers. Is it a coincidence that our government is building structures today with deep chambers for civilization, those SELECTED by the Pentagon and CIA, to go underground in the event of another global catalysm? What am I referring to? Norad and other underground structures being planned and built by the Pentagon. 

Is it a coincidence that some of the wealthiest people in the world are "preparing" for a global apocolyse. Or, that "prepping" is a significant, viral even, trend? 

The climate has always been changing. There have been periods of dramatic changes on earth. Our last Ice Age was some 12k years ago is only one example. This has been a regular 12k year event. There have also been major events in between at the 6k thousand year period, such as when the Great Flood is estimated. 

Weather is the result of our Sun and Moon and magnetism. These effect our oceans which in turn effect our weather. Our pagan ancestors prayed to gods which controlled these realms. Ironically they knew back then that our weather was in the hands of these God given creations. 

Our ancestors attributed weather dissasters to "mankinds actions" then too. The difference is the action our ancient ancestors blamed was 'Sin," rather than "CO2."  (Well, we are a Carbon Life form that depends entirely on Oxygen. Both of which are necessary for FIRE. And Laminin holds the body together.) 

Could "man-made" climate change be a distraction? Is it a convenient way for the Government and global super elites to buy time while they prepare for the global cataclysm they know is coming?  Could the sense of urgency be because we are overdue for the next 12k event?

Some are starting to effectively debunk "man-made" climate theory as the only basis for warming. 

At this same time, the archeology discussed in this Netflix series challenges the prevailing theories of human evolution. Were their intelligent beings, human or otherwise around before we were simply "hunter gatherers? Were there "survivors" from past civilizations who globally reset mankind?  Is it a coincidence that our Pentagon is just now talking about UFO's and Aliens?  

I contend that IF those "intelligent beings" were aliens, the many hyroglifics on ancient stone would depict them rather than the mazzaroth (constellations).  

If you do watch the Netfilx series, notice the narrator's repeated use of the word "magnetism." Magnatism is a universal force that literally controls the spacing and movement of the planets. Our Earth, Sun and Moon are connected by magnetism. Metaphorically speaking, Magnetism is the Laminin of the Universe. Magnatism protects our planet from destruction. It determines the location of our poles. It literally determines the way our airport runways are numbered and controls our GPS systems. Is it a coincidence that our Earth's magnetic shield has rapidly declined in the last two decades and the pace of the decline is accelerating?

The graphical animation which all the episodes of this Netflix series open with is a giant clue of what the author is hinting at! What he is hinting at is the explanation for the mystery that is the basis for the entire series. That explanation is revealed in the stars. More specifically, by our star - the Sun. 

Is it a coincidence that many of the things happening in the world correspond to the biblically foretold "End-times" events? And is it a coincidence that so much of the world is essentially returning to Paganism and the Worship of the Sun and Mother Earth?!

Eyes up!! In the Twinkle of an eye the world as we know it can change. Revelation is written in the stars.

Believe what you will. Like the title of my blog post title says, this is just a "Conspiracy (Theory)".

HANUKKAH TRIVIA ISN'T TRIVIAL

You must know those tops we Jews spin on Hanukkah called "Dreidels."  There is more to the game of "dreidel." On the surface it is a simple fun gambling game involving a 4-sided top.  The side that each turn lands on determines the player's winning. It is typically played by children with chocolate coins (gelt) covered in "gold" foil.  But you can play with real stakes. Its actually a lot of fun.

Nun (50) - you get no money

Gimmel (3) - you get everything.  (Camel)

In 175 BCE, the Assyrian Greek King Antiochus Epiphanes who controlled the area including Israel, instituted harsh decrees against Jewish life. Jews were forbidden from keeping Shabbat and Jewish holidays, ordered to eat non-kosher food, expected to worship Greek idols, and were banned from teaching or studying the Torah.

Jewish teachers and parents persisted in running clandestine schools. At the time of Hanukkah, Jewish teaching was done orally and it was necessary for students and teachers to work together in person in secret schools. Getting caught would likely lead to death.

To avoid detection, students kept a gambling toy similar to a dreidel in their pockets. If Greek soldiers raided these secret schools, children would quickly take out their spinning tops and some coins and explain that they were just playing games. This trickery allowed a generation of Jewish children to continue to study Torah and live clandestine Jewish lives.

The Yiddish word "dreydl" comes from the word dreyen. Drehen in German. Dreydl and Drehen both mean "to turn."  IN Israel they call dreidels by the Hebrew word "Sivivon." It comes from the Semitic root SBB ("to turn").

The dreidels in Israel have a Peh (פ) instead Shin (ש).

A Dreidel is lettered: Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Shin.

An acronym for: great miracle happened “there."

A Sivivon is lettered: Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Pey.

An acronym for: great miracle happened “here."

So Jews outside Israel, in the Diaspora, say ‘A Great Miracle Happened There' - Nes Gadol Haya Sham. ' Whereas, Jews in Israel say, ‘A Great Miracle Happened Here - Nes Gadol Haya Poh’.

There is a even more subtle difference. Notice that the only difference between the word "here" and "there" is the letter "T."  Therefore, the only difference between the entire two phrases is the letter "T. " What about that letter?  

The letter "T" in the English alphabet comes from the 20th letter of the Roman alphabet as used for English. It originated as the Phoenician symbol "taw," which the Greeks adopted and adapted as tau (τ) then in turn by the Romans as T.

Taw, tav, or taf is the 22nd and last letter of the Semitic (Hebrew) and Phoenician alphabet. Tāw, Hebrew, Tav ת‎, in ancient Hebrew the letter looked like a cross and it  signified a "mark" or "sign" or "covenant."   

The 20th letter in Hebrew is Resh. They is drawn like a head in ancient Hebrew and is symbolic of Authority.

Here is a numerical way to look at a Dreidel. In Hebrew every letter has a numeric equivalent. Gematria is a method of studying the numerical meaning associated with the letters in the Torah.

The numerical value of the Hanukkah dreidel’s letters, nun, gimmel, hey and shin, is 358. 358 is also the numerical value of the Hebrew word "Nachash." That is the Hebrew word for the serpent (snake) that tempted Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge in the book of Genesis. 358 is also numerical value of the Hebrew word Moshiach, or Messiah.

Perhaps the Sivivon also gives a clue to who the Messiah is. The gematria also equates to the Hebrew name "Menachem." This name means to console or comfort, 

Another symbolic (supernatural) way of looking at the dreidel’s Hebrew letters represents the divine aspects of a human being:

- Nun means Nefesh, Hebrew for “soul”;

- Gimmel means Guf, Hebrew for “body”;

- Shin is Sechel, “understanding” in Hebrew;

- Hey stands for "Hakol", which means “everything” in Hebrew, because the other three letters make up all of a person’s core qualities.

The great Chassidic scholar Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapiro (1783-1841) noted that the dreidel’s four letters correspond with four ancient kingdoms that tried and failed to destroy the Jewish people.

• Nun represents Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian leader who destroyed the first Temple in Jerusalem.
• Gimel stands for Gog, or Greece, which tried to eradicate the Jewish religion in the time of Hanukkah.
• Hey stands for Haman, the wicked minister in ancient Persia who wanted to commit genocide and wipe out the Jews and whose defeat is remembered during the Jewish holiday of Purim.
• Shin stands for Seir, or ancient Rome, which destroyed the second Temple in Jerusalem and ended Jewish rule in ancient Israel for nearly two thousand years.

Finally, the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin are supposed to represent the four kingdoms that tried to destroy us [in ancient times]: N = Nebuchadnetzar = Babylon; H = Haman = Persia = Madai; G = Gog = Greece; and S = Seir = Rome.

Finally, there is an interesting comparative observation that's been made between the dreidel toy that we turn on Hanukkah and the "groggers" that we spin (turn) on Purim to make noise in order to drown out the name of wicked Haman when we read the Megillah Esther. Each toy carries a hefty symbolic meaning.

• On Hanukkah, we spin dreidels from the top; our hands (symbolizing the “hand” of God) are clearly visible. You could say the revealed hand of God.
• On Purim, however, we hold the grogger from the bottom. We can’t see our hand controlling the toy. This reflects the nature of the Purim miracle, in which the hand of God was concealed. 

The well-known Hanukkah symbol has Christmastime 

The dreidel game originally had nothing to do with Hanukkah; it has been played by various people in various languages for many centuries.

In England and Ireland there is a game called totum or teetotum that is especially popular at Christmastime. In English, this game is first mentioned as “totum” ca. 1500-1520. The name comes from the Latin “totum,” which means “all.” By 1720, the game was called T- totum or teetotum, and by 1801 the four letters already represented four words in English: T = Take all; H = Half; P = Put down; and N = Nothing.

Our Eastern European game of dreidel (including the letters nun, gimmel, hey, shin) is directly based on the German equivalent of the totum game: N = Nichts = nothing; G = Ganz = all; H = Halb = half; and S = Stell ein = put in. In German, the spinning top was called a “torrel” or “trundl,” and in Yiddish it was called a “dreidel,” a “fargl,” a “varfl” [= something thrown], “shtel ein” [= put in], and “gor, gorin” [= all].

When Hebrew was revived as a spoken language, the dreidel was called, among other names, a sevivon, which is the one that caught on.

Thus the dreidel game represents an irony of Jewish history. In order to celebrate the holiday of Hanukkah, which celebrates our victory over cultural assimilation, we play the dreidel game, which is an excellent example of cultural assimilation! Of course, there is a world of difference between imitating non-Jewish games and worshiping idols, but the irony remains nonetheless.