Jastrow: מִצְוָה

מִצְוָה f. (b. h.; צָוָה) command, esp. religious act, meritorious deed. Ḥull. 141ᵃ, a. fr. לדבר מ׳ for a religious purpose, opp. לדבר הרשות for a secular or religiously indifferent purpose.—מלחמת מ׳ v. מִלְחָמָה.—Ab. IV, 11 מ׳ אחת one good deed, opp. עֲבֵרָה sin. Ib. שכר מ׳ מ׳ the reward of a good deed is another good deed, v. גָּרַר. Ib. II, 1 מ׳ קלה a light command (obeyed with little sacrifice); Ned. 39ᵇ; a. fr.—מ׳ הבאה בעבירה a religious act achieved through a wrong deed, e. g. using an illegitimately obtained object for a religious ceremony. Succ. 30ᵃ; a. fr.—Y. Sabb. XIII, 14ᵃ bot.; Y. Ḥall. I, end, 58ᵃ אין עבירה מ׳ no-sin is virtue; אין מ׳ עבירה no-virtue is sin.—Zeb. 52ᵃ, a. fr. מ׳ (sub. קרבן) an offering dependent on certain occasions as ordained in the Law, opp. חובה an obligatory offering (at regular seasons).—איסור מ׳, v. אִיסּוּר.—Y. Sot. I, beg. 16ᵇ איתמרת למ׳ (או) לעיכוב is this said only as a recommendation or as an indispensable act?; Y. Pes. II, 29ᵇ bot., a. fr., v. עִיכּוּב.—Ḥull. 106ᵃ משום מ׳ because it is meritorious; מאי מ׳ מ׳ לשמוע וכ׳ what is the merit of it? It is meritorious to obey &c. Ib. לא חובה ולא מ׳ אלא רשות neither an obligatory, nor a meritorious, but a religiously indifferent act; Sabb. 25ᵇ.—מִצְוַת עֲשֵׁה (abbr. מ"ע) a positive command; מ׳ לא תעשה a prohibition. Kidd. I, 7; a. v. fr., v. גְּרָמָא, a. לֹא, לַאו.—מת מ׳ the corpse of a person whose relatives are unknown and whose burial is obligatory on everybody. Hor. 13ᵃ פגע בהם מת מ׳ they struck upon a corpse; a. fr.—M. Kat. 20ᵃ חמשה מתי מ׳ the five relations (besides father and mother) whom one is obliged to bury (Lev. XXI, 2, sq.).—Lev. R. s. 34 תן לי מ׳ give me what thou art commanded to, i.e. alms, v. next w.—Pl. מִצְוֹת, מִצְווֹת. Macc. 23ᵇ שש מאות … מ׳ six hundred and thirteen commands (positive and prohibitive). Y. Sabb. l. c.; Y. Ḥall. l. c. (ref. to אלה המצות, Lev. XXVII, 34) אם עשיתן כְּמִצְוָותָן מ׳ וכ׳ if thou doest them as they are commanded, they are deeds of merit &c. R. Hash. 28ᵇ מ׳ אינו עובר עליהן אלא בזמנן one violates the law by adding to the prescribed form of ceremonies only when executed in their due season (e. g. one does not violate the law by dwelling in the Succah on the eighth day). Ib. מ׳ אין צריכות כונה; Ber. 13ᵃ מ׳ צריכות כ׳, v. כַּוָּנָה. Succ. 39ᵃ, a. e. כל המ׳ כולן מברך וכ׳ the benediction at the performance of religious ceremonies must precede the act. Nidd. 61ᵇ מ׳ בטלות לע"ל ceremonial laws find no application in the hereafter (e. g. a dead body may be wrapped in Kilayim). Ib. חפשי מן המ׳, v. חָפְשִׁי; a. v. fr.—Ker. 17ᵇ (ref. to Lev. V, 17) מצוות קרינן the traditional reading (v. אֵם) is acts (therefore a doubt between two pieces, one permitted and one prohibited, is required for a sacrifice (אשם תלוי). Ib. ליכא מ׳ the requirement of two pieces is not complied with.