Lamed

Lamed is the goad. The stick that the herder uses to direct the ox at Aleph. Lamed is the only letter that rises above the line of the alphabet — the tallest letter, the one that points up. It is the teacher's letter. To learn is to be goaded; to teach is to wield the goad.

Lamed is the letter of the priest as teacher. Os Lamia carries Lamed in his name. The priesthood's work is not to coerce, but the teaching does sometimes need to push — to point past what the seeker would have settled for, into what the seeker actually came for. Lamed is the letter of the necessary correction, given with measure.

When teaching is happening, Lamed is the letter being held. When correction is given without contempt, the goad is in Lamed's hand. The letter rises above the line because the teaching must.

• למדLamed (spelled)

  Goad — letter spelled

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