B"H
Wednesday, Menachem Av 29, 5783 (Hakhel Year) / August 16, 2023
One of the instructions in this week’s Parsha, Shoftim, is, “Tamim Tihyeh Im Hashem El-Ohecha” – “Be Tamim with G-d your G-d” (Chapter 18, verse 13).
The word “Tamim,” can be translated as “complete, whole, perfect.” It can also be translated as “simple,” like the third son in the Hagadah, the “Tam,” which means the “simpleton.” Here are various explanations for the above verse:
The famous Torah commentator, Rashi, explains it to mean “simple.” He explains it as follows, “Walk with Him [G-d] simple-heartedly and look forward to what He has in store for you. Do not probethe future, but rather accept whatever happens to you simple-heartedly, then you will be with G-d.”
According to Rashi, the Torah tells us, “You shall be TAMIM with G-d your G-d,” - you shall be simple; you shall not question G-d. Accept everything with faith. If you act this way, explains Rashi, you will always be connected with G-d.
Others explain the verse to mean that a person should be complete, whole with G-d.
How does a person accomplish being “complete’ with G-d? The mitzvot are compared to a person’s body. The 613 mitzvot represent the 613 parts of a person’s body. When a person keeps all the mitzvot, then they are whole (Tamim). Just as a body is whole and complete only when everything functions properly, so too, keeping all the mitzvot makes a person whole and complete spiritually.
Another explanation for this verse, “Be Tamim with G-d your G-d,” is that a person should be “complete with G-d,” even when you are ONLY with G-d - even when no one sees or will ever know what you did, you should do the right things. “Be complete [even when you are only] with G-d your G-d.”
Another wonderful explanation is, “You will be complete when you are with G-d your G-d.” The Torah tells us that being connected to G-d and observing His mitzvot makes us complete and perfect.
Another explanation: There is a verse which says, “Torat Hashem Temimah” - “G-d’s Torah is complete.” Torah is called “Temimah,” and the Jewish people are instructed to be “Tamim” – connected with Torah.
A Torah is not complete if even one letter is missing. A Torah has over 300,000 letters, yet each letter affects and is affected by every other letter. One missing letter makes the entire Torah not readable!
The same is with the Jewish people. Every Jew is like a letter in the Torah, which affects everyone. Every mitzvah we perform affects not only the one who performs it, but the entire Jewish nation.
The Torah tells us, “Be complete with G-d!” Your individual actions affect everyone. Be complete – do your part, for if even one link is broken, the entire Jewish chain is incomplete. It’s an individual collective responsibility.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY