A short glossary

Avodah means service or worship. In different Jewish contexts it can refer to Temple service, prayer, or religious service more broadly.

Berit means covenant, a binding relationship with obligations and commitments. Its presence helps explain many biblical uses of chesed, without being a stated prerequisite of every occurrence.

Bittul refers to nullification or the relinquishing of self-assertion before God. Its meaning varies with the theological context; it should not be assumed to erase every distinction between Creator and creature.

Chesed can mean kindness, faithful love, or relational loyalty. In Kabbalah it also names a sefirah associated with love and generosity.

Daat means knowledge. Biblical knowledge of God includes recognition and lived response, while later mystical uses give the term additional technical meanings.

Gevurah names strength, restraint, or judgment and is also a sefirah. It is related to other divine attributes rather than being an independent deity or an automatic justification for severity.

Kabbalat ol means acceptance of the yoke, referring to submission to divine authority.

Kavanah means intention or directed attention. Its specific requirements and mystical meanings depend on the act and tradition under discussion.

Lishmah describes doing something for its proper sake. In the sources considered here it concerns the sacred purpose of religious service.

Mesirat nefesh means surrender or dedication of the soul. It can refer to readiness for self-sacrifice and to inward dedication within religious life.

Mitzvah means commandment. The plural is mitzvot. In traditional Jewish mysticism, commandments give practical expression to divine will.

Ratzon means will or desire. It is relevant to Jewish discussions of divine will, although the principal desire language in Samuel and Hosea uses the root chafetz.

Sefirah names an attribute or mode within Kabbalistic accounts of divine manifestation and relationship. The plural is sefirot.

Tikkun means repair or ordering. In Kabbalah it can describe repair within the divine and cosmic order, beyond the term’s ordinary social use.