Tzedakah
tseh-DAH-kah
Giving to people in need. The word comes from the Hebrew word for "justice," so it is seen as the fair and right thing to do — not only a nice extra.
Chesed
KHEH-sed
Loving-kindness: helping someone in a way they can never repay, such as visiting someone who is sick or lonely.
Tikkun Olam
tee-KOON oh-LAHM
"Repairing the world." The idea that the world is unfinished and that people can help make it better, a little at a time.
Mitzvah
MITZ-vah
A good deed that is also something Jewish tradition asks people to do. The plural is mitzvot. Doing a kind act is often called "doing a mitzvah."
Hachnasat Orchim
hahkh-nah-SAHT or-KHEEM
Welcoming guests — making room for a visitor or a stranger and helping them feel at home.
Bal Tashchit
bahl tahsh-KHEET
"Do not waste." Caring for the world by not destroying or wasting things needlessly.