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What is the correct response to someone saying, "tizku l'mitzvot" after you do a mitzvah, or something helpful? For example, after helping someone make an Eruv Chatzeirot they might say "tizku l'mitzvot" and I'm not sure what I should respond.

It seems a bit strange to say, "thank you," or, "you too".

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  • I wasn't really sure what to tag this as; I would appreciate some help. I don't think "Hebrew" is correct.
    – andrewmh20
    Mar 31, 2013 at 18:01
  • I don't think I've ever heard somebody say that. Can you add something to the question about when this comes up (and what it means)?
    – Monica Cellio
    Mar 31, 2013 at 18:17
  • Oh, okay. I thought it was common.
    – andrewmh20
    Mar 31, 2013 at 18:20
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    That's as a response to "yashar koach," this is different...
    – andrewmh20
    Mar 31, 2013 at 18:24
  • 2
    Why not "Amen"? They are giving you a bracha!
    – Yehoshua
    Apr 1, 2013 at 22:19

5 Answers 5

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  1. Amen is a good answer.
  2. "Hamevarec Yevorac" is another good one (which means that the person who made a blessing (Hamevarech), should be blessed himself. For a male: Hamevarec Yevorac. For a female: Hamevarect Tevorac.
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One answer I know of is:

Tizku la'asot!

which is blessing back the blesser on the spot, with nice rhyming for tizku l`mitzvot.

la'asot = to do. To do mitzvot, in this case.

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The correct answer would be: Tizke'la'asot or Tizku la'asot, both phonetics and transliteration may vary slightly from one Sephardic community to another especially in those of Middle Eastern origin.

According to the author Moshe Piamenta in his work titled; "Jewish Life in Arabic Language and Jerusalem Arabic in Communal Perspective, A Lexico-Semantic Study".

Textually comment the following:"Thanking for alms, charity, or donation for the poor, or for fulfilling the Law for someone's benefit: JJ tizke (f. tizki; pl. tizku) lam-mesvöt! H.r., 'may you be worthy or fulfilling God´s commandments!' (rep.:Tizke [mutatis mutandis] la'sot!, may you be worthy of fulfilling!)". See here

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  • This was already in Yair's answer below...
    – רבות מחשבות
    Mar 8, 2018 at 3:10
  • @רבותמחשבות thanks :) this answer certainly looks more academic than mine. And it raised a smile for me. I live in Israel and it's a day-to-day blessings-exchange here for the orthodox :)
    – yair
    Mar 8, 2018 at 14:57
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A common response (to men) in Israel is "Wekhen LeMar" (וכן למר) meaning "and the same to you, Sir". If so, the proper response to women would probably be "Wekhen LeMarat" (וכן למרת) meaning "and the same to you, Madam".

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Well in my experience, and my only source for this is Rav Shalom Shmueli and Rav Eliyahu Hemed(hence it is Sephardi practice), Tizku L'Mitzvot is said in place of Todah Rabbah. As whenever, after completeing Ulpan, I would say Todah Rabbah within earshot of one of them they would say, "That isn't Jewish, Jews say Tizku L'mitzvot". So the answer(again staying within Hebrew) could be:

Ein Bayah(no problem)

Zeh Lo Davar(it's nothing)

Mah Pitom(what's the big deal)

or

B'vakasha(your welcome).

Depending on how proper you want to be. All of those have worked without getting me corrected for behavior unbecoming.

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    Why not "Amen"? They are giving you a bracha!
    – Yehoshua
    Apr 1, 2013 at 22:19
  • Hmmm... You pass someone the salt. They say Tizku L'Mitzvot, you say Amen... seems kinda weird.
    – Rabbi Michael Tzadok
    Apr 2, 2013 at 0:07
  • Seems like it such a case one should say "Thank you" or "Shkoich"...But in any case Tizku L'Mitzvos is a bracha so "Amen" seems fitting..
    – Yehoshua
    Apr 2, 2013 at 10:15
  • Like I said, at least in the Sephardi Yeshiva world, one does not say thank you, and "Shkoich" is definitely a Ashkenazi thing. We say Tizku L'Mitzvot. In the last 10yrs in Sephardi Yeshivot, I have never heard someone say "Amen".
    – Rabbi Michael Tzadok
    Apr 2, 2013 at 10:52
  • So I'm unfamiliar with these minhagim then. No concept of "Toda Rabba" (what so ever)? Where did you learn?
    – Yehoshua
    Apr 2, 2013 at 10:59

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