tsavoah

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A will.
2. n. A charge or ethical will, among the Jews, of a father to his children or a rabbi to his congregation. It has almost fallen into disuse. Some of the tsavaoth are excellent codes of ethics and piety. The letter of Rabbi Elias of Vilna to his son and the tsavoah of Rabbi Abraham of Danzig (1738-1821) are the most renowned. Pious young Jews in Russia commit them to memory.