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Laban: Son of Bethuel, brother of Rebecca, father of Leah and Rachel. He employed his son-in-law Jacob for twenty years and was a notoriously unscrupulous and dishonest individual.
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Ladino: a Spanish dialect spoken by many Sephardic Jews
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Lag BaOmer: the 33rd day of the Omer, a minor festival falling between Passover and Shavuot, commemorating the end of a plague which killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva’s students; also the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar
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Lamed: the twelfth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, prounounced "l," with a numerical value of 30
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Lamentations, the Book of: The book of Tanach authored by Jeremiah, lamenting the destruction of the Holy Temple, the suffering the Jews experienced at that time, and the ensuing exile. It is read on Tisha b'Av, the anniversary of the Temples' destruction.
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Lashon HaKodesh: (lit. “the Holy Tongue”); Biblical Hebrew
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Latke: Fried potato pancake, traditionally served on Chanukah.
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Latkes; Sufganiot: Latkes: Potato pancakes. Sufganiot: Fried donuts. Both traditional Chanukah foods.
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Leah: (a) Third of the four Matriarchs. Oldest daughter of Laban; her father deceptively gave her hand in matrimony to Jacob, switching her for the intended bride, her younger sister Rachel. Mother of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulon, and Dinah. Buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. (b) A common Jewish name.
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LeChaim!: (lit. “To life!”); A toast or blessing, often exchanged over wine or other strong drink.
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Lekach: (Yiddish) honey cake, eaten on Rosh Hashanah and the morning of the eve of Yom Kippur
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Lemafreia: (Aramaic) (a) retroactively; (b) out of proper sequence
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Levi: (a) (1567-1429 BCE) Third son of Jacob and Leah, third of the Twelve Tribes. He and his brother Simeon destroyed the city of Shechem in retaliation for their sister Dinah’s abduction and violation. Ancestor of the priestly tribe of Levi. (b) A common Jewish name.
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Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev: 1740-1809, Chassidic leader, one of the foremost disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch; renowned for his all-encompassing love and compassion for the Jewish people and for every individual Jew
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Levin, R. Aryeh: One of the foremost rabbinic leaders in Israel from the 1930’s to the 1960’s.
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Levite: A member of the priestly tribe of Levi.
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Levites, The: A member of the priestly tribe of Levi.
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Leviticus, the Book of: The third of the Five Books of Moses, describes the inauguration of the Tabernacle, and contains many of the mitzvot, including the laws of sacrifices.
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Lieber Foter: (Yiddish) beloved father
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Likkutei Dibburim: (lit. "Collected Talks"); a selection of the public talks of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn
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Likkutei Sichot: (lit. "Collected Talks"); the edited collection of the Rebbe’s talks
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Likkutei Torah: a classic collection of chassidic discourses by the first Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, collected and edited by his grandson, the Tzemach Tzedek
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Lishmah: (lit. “for its own sake”) an action done for its own sake, and not for the promise of reward; often used in reference to Torah study
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Livyatan: a giant sea creature whose flesh will be served to the righteous in the Messianic age
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Loshon Horo: (lit. “the evil tongue”); gossip and slander
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Lot (Abraham's nephew): Son of Haran, nephew of Abraham. He accompanied Abraham on his journey to Canaan and on his subsequent travels. After conflict arose between the two, he relocated to Sodom. When he was taken captive, Abraham rushed to his aid, battling four kings to secure his freedom. When Sodom was destroyed, angels were dispatched to save him. He is the ancestor of the nations of Ammon and Moab.
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Lot's Wife: Wife of Lot. When Sodom was destroyed, she disregarded the angels admonition and turned around to witness the destruction. She was immediately transformed into a pillar of salt. According to the Midrash, her given name was “Idis.”
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Lubavitch: (lit. “town of love”) townlet in the county of Mohilev, White Russia, which served as the center of the Chabad Chassidism for four generations, from 1813 to 1915 and whose name has become synonymous with the movement.
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Lulav: the palm branch used during the festival of Sukkot for the mitzvah of the Four Species
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