A certain person authored a book on Jewish customs and laws around the year. He sent the book to the Rebbe in 1954 for a haskamah. The Rebbe wrote him back that he doesn't usually give haskamos, but indulged in leaving comments on various issues throughout the book. Apparently, the author had given certain interpretations of the נ, ג, ה, ש that is displayed on the Chanukah dreidel. The Rebbe wrote to him "Do not mix the explanation for נ ג ה ש that is brought in the writings of great sages of old with English and Yiddish acronyms."
What is indeed the explanation that "the great sages of old" gave?
The classic "נס גדול היה שם" is brought elsewhere by the Rebbe (לקו"ש חי"ב ע' 33 - here) as a "saying" or "lore."
R. Shapiro in his famous work "B'nei Yissaschar" explains the letters of the dreidel in great detail, stating that they are a reference to the four exiles and moshiach who will redeem us from them all (נגהש is the same gematriah of משיח).
אגרות קודש ח"ט ע' סו
בני יששכר כסלו טבת מאמר ב' אות כ"ה
See here
I have a feeling that one of the author's suggestions was nisht, gut, halb and shlecht
ReplyDeleteSee here for more on the origins of dreidel and the four letters.
ReplyDeletehttp://seforim.blogspot.com/2005/12/chanukah-customs-and-sources.html
thank you for the insightful link. Yes, the Rebbe does refer to Yiddish acronyms, and what you suggest may possibly be it, יש לעיין.
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