Kvitlech

This article refers to the card game; for the prayer note see Kvitel.

Kvitlech, also spelled Kvitlach or Quitlok, (Yiddish: קווטלך, literally "notes", "slips")[1] is a game similar to blackjack played in some Jewish homes during the Hanukkah season.[2] Hanukkah card playing was a traditional cover for Torah study, which had been outlawed for Jews by a Syrian-Greek king in the 2nd century BCE[2] (presumably Antiochus IV Epiphanes).

The original kvitlech deck consisted of 31 numbered cards, artistically colored, representing the 31 kings against whom the Israelites fought under Joshua, a biblical prelude to the Maccabean victory.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Steinmetz, Sol (2005). Dictionary Of Jewish Usage: A Guide To The Use Of Jewish Terms. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 66. ISBN 0-7425-4387-0.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barlow, Rich (2007-12-02). "Gambling had role in religious history". The Boston Globe.
  3. ↑ Ingram, Chaim (2006-12-14). "Eight Chanukah ‘lites’". The Australian Jewish News. Archived from the original on 2007-09-04. Retrieved 2007-12-04.

External links