mitzvah

Meaning

• a commandment
• a religious obligation
• a religiously significant good deed

Alternate spellings

mitzva

Usage and context

Its primary meaning is a commandment or commanded act. In casual English it can mean a good deed, but in Orthodox speech the connection to religious obligation remains important.

Example in Yeshivish

Visiting the sick is a mitzvah.

Plain-English example

Visiting the sick is a religiously significant good deed.