lishmah

L1I1S1H4M3A1H4
/liʃˈma/[lɪʃˈmɑ]/ləʃˈmɒ/[ləʃˈmɔ]

adverb

for its own sake, purely for the sake of something, without outside influence such as possible rewards

“A true tzadik doesn't do a mitzvah for skhar, rather he does a mitzvah lishmah and b'simcha!”

OriginHebrew לִשְׁמָהּ →
Scrabble 15
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Meanings

adverblishmah (comparative more lishmah, superlative most lishmah)

comparative more lishmah · superlative most lishmah · alternative lishma · alternative lishmo · alternative lishmoh

  1. EnglishJewishJudaismfor its own sake, purely for the sake of something, without outside influence such as possible rewards

    A true tzadik doesn't do a mitzvah for skhar, rather he does a mitzvah lishmah and b'simcha!

Origin

  1. Hebrewלִשְׁמָהּ“to/for her/its name”
  2. Englishlishmah

From Hebrew לִשְׁמָהּ (lishmáh, “to/for her/its name”). See Torah lishmah (“Torah for its own sake”).

More words from Hebrew

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

lishmah. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lishmah

MLA

“lishmah.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lishmah. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lishmah,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lishmah.

Source: lishmah on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.