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
Adult bar and bat mitzvah Axelrad of Brandeis University officiated the first adult Bar and Bat Mitzvahs in the early 1970s. He encouraged the practice in all denominations of Judaism. Between 1995 and 2001, Hadassah held group adult Bat Mitzvah ceremonies for 180 women. In 2001, the Union for Reform Judaism created a guide on adult Bar and Bat Mitzvah programs which was adopted by 900 congregations. In 2002, the Conservative Movement adopted this guide as well. The process of becoming an adult Bar or Bat Mitzvah involves studying for a year or longer. It consists of Hebrew language, Jewish rituals, Torah readings, and Haftorah