מצווה

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Hebrew

Etymology

Root
צ־ו־ה (ts-w-h)

Compare Arabic وَصِيَّة (waṣiyya), from a cognate root, though with the first two root letters metathesized.

Noun

מצווה / מִצְוָה • (mitsvá) f (plural indefinite מִצְווֹת, singular construct מצוות / מִצְוַת־)

  1. commandment
    • Tanach, Numbers 36:13, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      אֵלֶּה הַמִּצְו‍ֹת וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ.
      Eleh ha-mitsvot v-ha-mishpatim asher tsivah Adonai b-yad Moshe el b'nei Yisrael b'arvot Moav al yarden Y'reḥo.
      These are the commandments and the ordinances, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses unto the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.
      וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְו‍ֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם׃ וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ וְתִירשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ׃
      v'haya 'im shamoa' tishm'u 'el mitsvotai 'asher 'anokhi m'tsave 'etkhem hayom l'ahava 'et Adonai 'eloheikhem ul'ovdo b'khol l'vavkhem uvkhol nafsh'khem. v'natati m'tar arts'khem b'ito yore umalkosh v'asafta d'ganekha v'tirosh'kha v'yitsharekha.
      And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
  2. (Judaism) mitzvah

Usage notes

  • Though the word literally means "commandment," in modern liberal streams of Judaism, it is often interpreted as "good deed."

Synonyms

Derived terms

Verb

מצווה / מְצַוֶּה • (m'tsave)

  1. Masculine singular present participle and present tense of ציווה (tsivá).
    • Tanach, Numbers 36:13, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
      וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְו‍ֹתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעָבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם׃ וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ וְתִירשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ׃
      v'haya 'im shamoa' tishm'u 'el mitsvotai 'asher 'anokhi m'tsave 'etkhem hayom l'ahava 'et H' 'eloheikhem ul'ovdo b'khol l'vavkhem uvkhol nafsh'khem. v'natati m'tar arts'khem b'ito yore umalkosh v'asafta d'ganekha v'tirosh'kha v'yitsharekha.
      And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

Verb

מצווה / מְצַוָּה • (m'tsava)

  1. Feminine singular present participle and present tense of ציווה (tsivá).

Further reading

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