Mitzvah
n.kind, thoughtfulformal
Meaning 1
A commandment or religious obligation in Jewish tradition.
Reach for it when using the term within its Jewish religious context for an action commanded by sacred law
The class studied the mitzvah of returning a lost object to its owner.
Choose between these
3- professional
religious duty
plain explanation matters more than the Hebrew loanword
not when Religious duty is generic and may arise from custom rather than a commandment.
- formal
commandment
a religious duty is grounded in divine law
not when Commandment is broader across religions and loses the specifically Jewish frame.
- formal
obligation
binding responsibility is the essential feature
not when Obligation can be legal or social and lacks sacred meaning.
Meaning 2
A kind or helpful deed.
Reach for it when using the extended English sense for a concrete act of kindness while respecting its cultural origin
Driving the neighbor to her appointment was a genuine mitzvah.
Choose between these
4- everyday
one practical act helps someone directly
not when A favor may expect reciprocity and need not be morally significant.
- everyday
good deed
simple language names a helpful moral action
not when Good deed omits mitzvah's religious and cultural resonance.
- warm
act of kindness
care for another person is the specific merit
not when A mitzvah can fulfill ritual or ethical law without being interpersonal kindness.
- professional
sustained work benefits a community
not when Service is broader, often organized, and may be paid.
Said against
4- transgression
- violation
- wrongdoing
- harm
It naturally appears in
3- perform a mitzvah
Families gathered to perform a mitzvah by preparing food for mourners.
- great mitzvah
Checking on the isolated resident each morning was a great mitzvah.
- consider it a mitzvah
The volunteers consider it a mitzvah to keep the cemetery paths accessible.
Where this comes from
Mitzvah is a Jewish religious term before it is an English synonym for a good deed; context should preserve that origin rather than flatten it.
- wiktionary, English noun from Hebrew, commandment in Jewish law sense opens in a new tab for meaning 1 · retrieved 2026-07-26
- wiktionary, English noun, kind or worthy deed sense opens in a new tab for meaning 2 · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.