For the Israeli political party, see Labor Party (Israel).

Avoda, or Avodah , is a Hebrew

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

 word, literally meaning "work".

In a modern context, usually refers to business-type activities, it can also mean agricultural work and, more traditionally, serving God.

In its original, traditional sense, "avodah" was applied to sacrifices offered in Temple in Jerusalem

Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...

. The word was also used to described the epitome of sacrificial rite, the complex and fraught main service of the The High Priest

Kohen Gadol

The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...

 on Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...

 (The Day of Atonement). Today it refers to a liturgical reenactment of the aforementioned ceremony which is recited during the Musaf Amidah

Amidah

The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...

 of Yom Kippur.

Avodah in Chassidism

In chassidism:

1. Avodah generally refers to Divine service (or worship). For example, it's part of the Divine service to serve God with joy.

2. "eizohi Avodah shebelev? zu Teffilah." - What is the service of the heart? that is teffilah, prayer. That is why in chassidism there is a great emphasis on prayer

Avodah and Bnei Akiva

Avodah is one of the two words that underlie the ideology

Ideology

An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...

 of Bnei Akiva

Bnei Akiva

Bnei Akiva is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 37 countries. It was established in Mandate Palestine in 1929.-History:...

. (The other is Torah

Torah

Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...

).

In this ideological framework, the word was originally utilised in a strictly agricultural context. "Avodah" meant working on a kibbutz.

In more recent years, Bnei Akiva has had to redefine the terminology. Tens of thousands of its members currently live, or plan to live in an urban setting in Israel.

A strictly agricultural interpretation of Avodah therefore marginalises members.

Furthermore, it is generally perceived that the "needs" of Israel have developed somewhat since Bnei Akiva was founded. Draining malarial swamps and "turning the desert green" have assumed somewhat lower priorities than in earlier years. To give an example from exporting, Israel is now known for its high tech

High tech

High tech is technology that is at the cutting edge: the most advanced technology currently available. It is often used in reference to micro-electronics, rather than other technologies. The adjective form is hyphenated: high-tech or high-technology...

 industries as much as for its Jaffa orange

Jaffa orange

The Jaffa orange, also Shamouti orange, is a sweet, almost seedless orange variety. Originally developed by Palestinian farmers in the mid-19th century, it takes its name from the city of Jaffa where it was first produced for export. It became a primary citrus export of the State of Israel...

s.

The movement has therefore subtly redefined Avodah, to mean work that contributes towards the building up of the land of Israel.

AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps

AVODAH combines social justice work, Jewish learning, and community building into a program for recent college graduates. At locations in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. or New Orleans, participants work full time at grassroots organization to create positive change on urban poverty issues such as hunger, literacy, public health, domestic violence, and housing. At the same time, they share a year living and learning with other young, Jewish adults to integrate social change and Jewish values in a pluralistic environment.

There are currently 45 participants bringing housing, education and other basic services to over 10,000 people each year and saving the organizations they work for more than half a million dollars. An alumni community of over 200 people furthers the work and learning once the participants complete the program.