Avodat

Avodat is a Hebrew term derived from the root avod/avad, meaning work, service, or worship. In usage, the form avodat is the construct state used to connect this noun to another noun, producing phrases such as avodat Hashem, meaning “the service of God,” or avodat HaMikdash, meaning “the service of the Temple.” The exact sense of avodat can therefore range from ritual or liturgical activity to general acts of labor or service, depending on context.

In biblical and rabbinic literature, avodah most often refers to service offered to God. This includes the ritual service performed by the priests in the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple), including sacrifices and other rites. Beyond that primary sense, rabbinic and later Jewish thought extended avodah to encompass a person's daily religious life—study, prayer, observance of mitzvot, ethical conduct, and acts of kindness—as forms of service to God. In philosophy and Mussar, avodah Hashem (the service of God) is a framework for cultivating devotion and devekut (attachment to God).

In modern Hebrew, avodah is also the common word for “work” or “employment.” In this secular sense, the term retains its core idea of directed effort or labor, though its religious sense remains prominent in phrases like avodat Hashem. Overall, avodat reflects the central Jewish idea that human effort—whether ritual, ethical, or everyday work—can be oriented toward the divine.