lamed-vovnik

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Definitions

  • n. A hidden saint; one of the thirty-six anonymous, righteous people that live in each generation, a notion rooted in Jewish mystical tradition.

Example Sentences

  • "For instance, it is said that a certain village tanner in the early Hasidic era was a Lamed-vovnik: after his death, this seemingly ignorant man was discovered to have composed secret and erudite Kabbalistic treatises." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Y למד־װאָװניק lamed-vovnik from TH ל"ו צַדִיקִים Lamed Vav Tzadikim in which "lamed vav" represents the number 36 using gematria (ל 'lamed' represents '30' while ו 'vov' represents 6).

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).

      Alternative Spellings

      lamed-vovnick, lamed vovnick, lamed vovnik, lamed-vavnik, lamed-vavnick, lamed vavnick, lamed vavnik

Notes

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