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Nine out of ten Jews will tell you that mitzvah means doing a good deed. In reality, there is much more to the word. The simple translation of mitzvah is commandment, but Chasidic teachings find a deeper meaning in the word. Mitzvah comes from the root word tzavta, which means connection.
In common usage, a mitzvah often means “a good deed”—as in “Do a mitzvah and help Mrs. Goldstein with her packages.” This usage is quite old—the Jerusalem Talmud commonly refers to any charitable act as “ the mitzvah.”
However, the Hebrew word mitzvah does not mean “a good deed” in that sense. Mitzvah literally means “commandment.” In fact, Jewish tradition understands exactly 613 mitzvot (plural of mitzvah) to be derived from the Hebrew Bible.
More literally translated as commandment, this Hebrew word is often tossed around instead of the Yiddish word mitzveh, which means good deed. There is a Mitzvah Day at my temple every year, which focuses more on social action than on ritual observance.
MITZVAH (Heb. מִצְוָה), a commandment, precept, or religious duty. The term is derived from the Hebrew root צוה which means "to command" or "to ordain." In common usage, mitzvah has taken on the meaning of a good deed.
In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word mitzvah (/ ˈ m ɪ t s v ə /; Hebrew: מִצְוָה, mīṣvā, plural מִצְווֹת mīṣvōt [mit͡sˈvot]; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty.
The literal meaning of the Hebrew word mitzvah is commandment, but the generally accepted sense is that of a good deed. The emphasis is on deeds—not on positive thoughts or wishes, but on conscious acts of empathy and kindness.
