# מצווה
## Hebrew
### Etymology

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

### Noun

מצווה / מִצְוָה • (mitsvá) f (plural indefinite מצוות / מִצְוֺת, singular construct מצוות / מִצְוַת־, plural construct מצוות / מִצְוֺת־)
* commandment
** Tanach, Numbers 36:13, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:
    אֵלֶּה הַמִּצְוֺת וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה יְהוָה בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעַרְבֹת מוֹאָב עַל יַרְדֵּן יְרֵחוֹ.éle ha-mitsvót v'ha-mishpatím ashér tsivá Adonáy b'yad Moshé él b'né Yisra'él b'arvót Mo'áv al yardén Y'rekhó.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 מִצְוֺתַי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּלְעׇבְדוֹ בְּכָל לְבַבְכֶם וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁכֶם׃ וְנָתַתִּי מְטַר אַרְצְכֶם בְּעִתּוֹ יוֹרֶה וּמַלְקוֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ דְגָנֶךָ וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ׃v'hayá im shamóa' tishm'ú él mitsvotáy ashér anokhí m'tsavé etkhém hayóm l'ahavá et Adonáy eloheikhém ul'ovdó b'khól l'vavkhém uv'khól nafsh'khém. v'natáti m'tár arts'khém b'itó yoré umalkósh v'asáfta d'ganékha v'tirosh'khá v'yits'harékha.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.
* (Judaism) mitzvah

#### Usage notes

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

#### Synonyms

* (command): ציווי / צִוּוּי (tsivúy), צוואה / צַוָּאָה (tzava'á)

#### Derived terms

* בר מצווה / בַּר מִצְוָה (bar mitsvá)
* מצוות הקהל / מִצְוַת הַקְהֵל (mitsvát hak'hél)
* מצוות עשה
* מצוות לא תעשה
* שומר מצוות
* תרי״ג מצוות

### Verb

מצווה / מְצַוֶּה • (m'tsave)
* 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 מִצְוֺתַי 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)
* Feminine singular present participle and present tense of ציווה (tsivá).

### Further reading

* w׃he׃מצווה on the Hebrew Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{he}$