App Makes Likkutei Sichos Accessible Like Never Before

Anyone who has ever sat down to learn a Likkutei Sichos knows the feeling. You’re moving along smoothly until you hit a word or phrase that stops you cold.

For most, Yiddish is a language they’ve heard growing up, maybe a few familiar expressions like “דריי נישט א קאפ” or “האק א טשייניק.” But when it comes to words like שילד or פעלז, things quickly get unfamiliar.

You could reach for a Yiddish dictionary or try Google Translate, but both options often fall short. Google Translate struggles with context, especially when a single Yiddish word can carry several nuanced meanings depending on how it’s used. A Yiddish dictionary isn’t much easier – it can be slow and tedious to flip through, and many entries don’t reflect how words change meaning when used together in different contexts within Likkutei Sichos. The result is a process that can be frustrating and time-consuming.

That’s what inspired experienced app developer Mendel Gottlieb to create a better solution.

Introducing Otzar Likkutei Sichos

Built on a comprehensive curriculum developed by Shuey Geisinsky while serving as a Shliach in Arizona Mesivta, Otzar Likkutei Sichos is a groundbreaking digital dictionary and study tool designed specifically for Likkutei Sichos.

This curriculum, already used in several Yeshivos, includes detailed translations, Roshei Teivos, and explanations for most of the Sichos in Chalakim Alef through Daled. Over ten thousand translation entries were compiled through thousands of hours of careful work, accurately explaining complex Yiddish words and sentences that may be difficult to understand because of their unfamiliar grammar and structure.

Gottlieb took this vast collection and transformed it into an elegant, pleasant to use,  intuitive app. With a single search, users can instantly find thousands of Yiddish words or phrases across all the Sichos, complete with its context and how it was translated in each instance.

More Than a Dictionary

While the dictionary is the heart of the app, Otzar Likkutei Sichos is far more than that. It serves as a full digital chavrusa experience, built with Flutter and powered by Firebase.

The app includes:

• Reverse search tool – type in English and instantly see how that word or phrase was translated in every context from Yiddish, across the full database.

• Instant contextual translations that reflect real in-context Chassidic usage.

• Smart flashcards that automatically turn saved words into a spaced-repetition review deck.

• Notes and bookmarks to help learners organize and track progress.

• Deep link sharing so chavrusas can study the same list remotely.

• Full-text search across the entire app’s Likkutei Sichos collection.

• AI assistant to help explore deeper conceptual questions.

• Community contribution feature, allowing users to suggest words or phrases not yet included in the dictionary so translations can be added for the benefit of future learners.

As one early user put it:

“Baruch Hashem, Likkutei Sichos just became a lot more accessible. This is exactly what our generation needs to connect with the Rebbe’s Torah.”

The Otzar Likkutei Sichos app is available now for download.

Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mendelg.likkutei_sichos_dictionary&pcampaignid=web_share

iOS:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/otzar-likkutei-sichos-chabad/id6742024840

Feedback and suggestions:
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