Lamed

Lamed is the tallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, soaring above the upper line that bounds the other letters. Its name is related to the word "lilmod" (to learn) and "lelamed" (to teach), making it the letter of education, aspiration, and the never-ending pursuit of knowledge. The fact that it rises above all other letters teaches that learning and teaching are the highest activities a person can engage in -- they literally transcend all else. Lamed occupies the twelfth position, at the heart of the alphabet (the middle two letters of the 22-letter alphabet are Kaf and Lamed). Combined, Kaf-Lamed spells "kol" (all), and Lamed-Kaf spells "lekh" (go) -- together suggesting "go toward everything" or "all is in motion." The Sefer Yetzirah associates Lamed with the zodiac sign of Libra (Moznayim, the Scales), connecting it to justice, balance, and the careful weighing of truth. The shape of Lamed -- a Kaf with a Vav rising from it -- is described by the Kabbalists as "a tower soaring in the air." It represents the aspiration of the heart ("lev," the heart, begins with Lamed) to ascend toward the divine. Lamed teaches that genuine learning is not mere accumulation of information but a vertical movement of the soul, an elevation of consciousness that carries us beyond our current limitations.

Lamed is pronounced as an "L" sound, as in "love" or "light." It is a clear, clean consonant with no variant pronunciation in Hebrew. English speakers generally have no difficulty with this sound. Lamed is the tallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, extending above the top line. It looks like a curved shepherd's staff or a vertical stroke with a curved hook at the top leaning to the left. When writing, note that it begins at the baseline, rises vertically, and curves at the top. In many fonts, it has an elegant, sweeping quality. Its height makes it a visually distinctive letter and it is easy to spot in a line of Hebrew text.