כְּאַוַּות נַפְשׁוֹ
כִּרְצוֹנוֹ הַחָופְשִׁי. כְּכָל שֶׁלִּיבּוֹ חֵפֶץ.
("וְכִי יָבֹא הַלֵּוִי מֵאַחַד שְׁעָרֶיךָ מִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר הוּא גָּר שָׁם וּבָא בְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשׁוֹ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה'"- דְּבָרִים יח ו, וְכֵן:"וַתֹּאמֶר אֶל בַּעֲלַת הַבַּיִת: תְּנִי לִי בְּגָדַיִךְ וּבִגְדֵי אֲדוֹנִי אִישְׁךָ/ וַאֲכַבְּסֵם כְּכָל אַוַּת נַפְשְׁךָ"- יוֹסֵף אִבְּן זַבָּאדָה (הַמֵּאָה הי"ב)/ הַכּוֹבֶסֶת, וְכֵן:"וִיפַרְסֵם הַדֻּכָּס בְּמִכְתְּבֵי הָעִתִּים מִי אֲשֶׁר יִמְצָא אֶת בְּנוֹ יִתֵּן לוֹ מַתָּנָה טוֹבָה כְּאַוַּת נַפְשׁוֹ"- שַׁ"י עַגְנוֹן/ סִפּוּרֵי הַבֵּעשְׁ"ט, חֲתֻנָּה בַּיַּעַר)
תרגום
ביטוי (אנגלית)
As his soul desires/ as his strong desire/ to his heart's desire/ as one pleases
הגדרה (אנגלית)
At his free will. As much as his heart desires.
("And when the Levite comes from one of your gates from all Israel, where he is staying as a resident, and comes with all the desire of his soul to the place that the LORD will choose" — Deuteronomy 18:6; and likewise: "And she said to the mistress of the house: Give me your clothes and the clothes of my master, your husband, and I will wash them as much as your soul desires" — Yosef ibn Zabara (12th century), "The Washerwoman"; and likewise: "And the duke announced in the newspapers that whoever finds his son will be given a fine gift according to his desire" — S.Y. Agnon, Tales of the Baal Shem Tov, "Wedding in the Forest").