Mitzvah "mitzvah" (some "mitzvot" are given reasons in the Torah). In its secondary meaning, Hebrew "mitzvah", as with English "commandment", refers to a moral deed performed within a religious duty. As such, the term "mitzvah" has also come to express an individual act of human kindness in keeping with the law. The expression includes a sense of heartfelt sentiment beyond mere legal duty, as "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). The tertiary meaning of "mitzvah" also refers to the fulfillment of a "mitzvah". The feminine noun ' () occurs over 180 times in the Masoretic Text of the
Machar, The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism and Darwin Day, and periodic Shabbat services. Services use language that is consistent with the nontheistic philosophy of Humanistic Judaism. Machar’s Sunday school integrates Jewish history, culture, values, and practice into a developmentally appropriate curriculum at each grade level, from preschool-aged children through the B’Nei Mitzvah year. Post-mitzvah teens can assist in Jewish Cultural School classrooms and help to organize community service activities on behalf of the congregation. Machar offers programming for adults concurrently with Sunday school. Topics include themes of Judaism, Humanism, and other social, humanitarian, or personal issues. Machar, The Washington Congregation for Secular Humanistic Judaism Machar is