The dreidel’s four sides — marked with the Hebrew letters nun, gimmel, heh and shin — carry a deeper symbolism that speaks to the complexities of our personalities.

The dreidel's letters stood for the Yiddish words explaining the rules kids are still using. CHAD: If it lands on nun, nisht, that's nothing. If it lands on gimmel, gantz, take all.

Everyone takes a turn at spinning the dreidel; the one with the highest spin has first turn. (Nun is highest, then gimmel, hey, and shin.) If there is a tie for highest, those who tied spin again.

On Earth, a dreidel slows down because of air and the table or floor on which it's spinning — both creating friction. As the toy slows, it loses its angular momentum.

An Israeli boy spins a Dreidel as he takes part in a competition during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah in Tel Aviv on December 13, 2009. On Thursday, astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli spun a dreidel at ...

A dreidel spun by NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli floats in front of a felt menorah aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 7, 2023, the first night of Hanukkah.