Commandment or good deed? The concept of mitzvah in the traditions of East European Jews

Abstract

The term mitzvah is very significant in the traditional culture of the East European Jews. It meant a commandment when it was carried out by a professional for money, and a good deed when the same work was performed by an “amateur” gratis. The not received fee was credited to “amateur’s” heavenly account and accumulated there. The idea of a list of sins and mitzvot continuously maintained in heaven gave rise to the idea of heavenly bookkeeping, a kind of personal account with income (mitzvot) and expenses (sins) in a monetary form.