We are commanded in our Parasha (18:13) תמים תהיה עם ה' אלקיך:’ You shall be wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d’.
Though the injunction is in the imperative, there is disagreement between our two great decisors - Rambam and Rambban - as to whether it is included in the six-hundred-and-thirteen miizvot of the Torah.
The difference is due to the different methodology by which each of these Sages determines which injunctions are to be included in the תרי'ג מצוות- the six-hundred-and-thirteen mitzvot of the Torah.
Ramban determines - based on the imperative language - that there is a positive mitzvah ‘to be wholehearted with Hashem’.
Rambam - on the other hand - does not count it as one of the תרי'ג מצוות דאורייתא, as - according to his methodology - it is ‘a general injunction, or a promise and a condition’, that ‘if you go in an upright way, you will be with Hashem’.
Rambam does not include general injunctions in his list of the תרי'ג מצוות, and therefore does not count this injunction as one of the תרי’ג מצוות.
Rashi comments - on this injunction - that its meaning is that:’we should go wholeheartedly with Hashem, and accept what He brings on you whole-heartedly, and you will then be his people and his lot’.
The Maharal - on this Rashi - comments:’ Rashi derived his explanation from the words of the passuk, from it saying ‘with Hashem, your G-d’, as it could have said only:’Be wholehearted’, as it did in saying, of Yaakov:’A wholehearted man’ - what does:’Be wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d’ mean?
‘It means that if ‘you are wholehearted with Hashem’, you will be with Hashem, and be His portion.
‘It is as if the words:’With Hashem’ were written twice:’Be wholehearted with Hashem’, and if you accept all His words wholeheartedly, you merit to ‘be with Him’, and to be His portion - meaning: if you are wholehearted with Hashem, then you will ‘be with Hashem.’
Ramban expounds our passuk:’Our hearts should solely be directed to Hashem, and we should believe that He alone does all, and truthfully knows what the future will bring.
‘We should only seek to know what the future holds through His prophets or those to whom He entrusts His secrets.- meaning the Urim and Tumim - and not from fortune-tellers or soothsayers, or their like, nor on any account believe that what they foretell, will come to be.
‘Instead, when we hear what they foretell, we should say:’All is in the hands of Heaven’, as Hashem is Above all, omnipotent, and alters the constellations at His will.
‘We should believe that what is to occur in the future, depends according to our coming closer to Hashem, in our service of Him.
‘Therefore, after warning us against seeking to know the future from these outside persons, the Torah enjoins us:’to be wholehearted with Hashem’, in all these matters, and only seek to know the future from His prophets, and heed only what they foretell.
‘This, too, is the commentary of Onkelos:’Be complete in your Awe of Hashem’ - as ‘wholehearted’ means completeness, as in ‘שה תמים:'’: an unblemished lamb - which lacks nothing.
‘This is a positive commandment - as I have mentioned on the passuk:’והיה תמים: ‘And be wholehearted’.’
Abarbanel expounds that תמים: whole- hearted, means ‘complete, lacking in nothing’, so that one who fulfills this injunction, will not be deprived of any of the illusory things - such as the knowledge of the future - as they are illusory, and will not bring you the imagined benefits - these imagined benefits will only come from being with Hashem, through observing His mitzvot.
‘If you do so, all your hours and your days will be good and successful before you, and you will have no need for the fortune-tellers, as Hashem ‘will send His angels to bless your endeavors’.
‘Therefore, the injunction to be wholehearted with Hashem’, is to give you completeness in all the things that you need, in your service of Hashem.’
Rav Elimelech miDinov comments:’Bnei Israel, in our nature, are instilled to go by the Torah, and woe to us to engage in enquiries.
‘We are enjoined to follow the teachings of our Sages - how much more from what is written in the Torah, especially in matters of the fundamentals of our faith - the existence of Hashem, His oneness and reward and punishment.
‘Heaven forfend for us to enquire as to these matters, even if our intention is for the Sake of Heaven - to reinforce them in his mind, and thereby to strengthen his faith -as basing our emuunah on our intellect is a very dangerous route, as it gives the yetser ha’ra an opening to subvert the innocent mind from pure faith.
‘The emunah which derives from the stand when we heard at Har Sinai: ‘I am Hashem, your G-d’ is enduring and ever-lasting; not so, if it is based on our intellect, which can be altered like gusts of wind.’
The Netivot Shalom open his commentary, with the homiletic exposition of the Sifre, on our passuk:’When you are wholehearted with Hashem’ , then your lot is with Hashem’ - the commentators expounding the word תהיה: ‘you will be’, ‘upwards and downwards - that if you are wholehearted, you will be with Hashem, your G-d, and be His portion.
‘Rashi interprets in a similar fashion: go wholeheartedly with Hashem, and await whatever He brings on you, and don’t enquire as to the future, but whatever comes upon you, accept whole-heartedly, as then you will be with Him and you will be His lot.
‘It therefore appears that ‘to be wholeheartedly with Hashem’ is a very lofty level, as it brings you ‘to be with Hashem’.
‘More so - according to the Ba’al ha Turim - as the word תמים: ‘wholehearted’, is written with a large first letter, it comes to teach that if you perform this injunction, you will be deemed to have performed the Torah, from beginning to end : from אלף to תי'ו.
‘Further, we find that Noach is praised as being איש צדיק תמיח:’a righteous wholehearted man’, and this appellation is also found in praise of Yaakov and of Avraham.
‘As this teaches that it is a very lofty level, it demands that we study its meaning.
‘Further, after the importance that we have mentioned that is given to this injunction, and the lofty level it represents, it may be surprising to note that Rambam does not’ as we have brought - ‘include it as one of the תרי'ג מצוות דאורייתה.
‘We can note that Hashem, in the Midrash, called Israel by reference to those appellation: יונתי תמתי: ‘My wholehearted dove’, as praise for Bnei Israel declaring:’All that Hashem says, we shall do and we shall heed’ - this before knowing what would be commanded - this being the lofty level of ‘wholeheartedness’.
‘There are two things that ‘being wholehearted with Hashem’ connotes: That a Jew completely subjugates himself to Hashem’s Will - as Rashi expounds - he goes with Him wholeheartedly, and does not seek to enquire as to the future, but wholeheartedly accepts all that befalls him, without even a murmur.
‘This is the higher level of Emunah, Emunah having two understandings: pure Emunah simpliciter, and Emunah in the sense of נאמן: ‘faith in’, which means that through his faith in Hashem, he has no questions as to His conduct - negating himself to the extent of not having any enquiry as to Hashem’s actions.
‘This was the level of Avraham Avinu - initially, Hashem said to him:’In Yitzchak you shall have seed’, yet later told him to take Yitzchak, as an offering - yet he had no murmurings of doubt or questions - as Hashem said to him::’Walk before Me and be wholehearted’.
‘This is why this mitzvah, at its highest level - complete negation of self, to Hashem’s words - is greater than all other mitzvot, as, through it, the person comes to ‘be with Hashem, and to be His portion; and therefore, also, one who attains this level, is likened to one who has observed the Torah from beginning to end.
‘This explains why this mitzvah is not included - by Rambam - as one of the six-hundred-and-thirteen Biblical mitzvot, as it is different from the other mitzvot, which bind every Jew equally - this mitzvah reveals Hashem’s Will, that every Jew strives to attain the highest level of which he is capable - which clearly is different in the case of each individual.’
A parting gem from the Dubner Magid::’The midrash expounds: ‘When you are wholehearted with Hashem, your G-d’, you will be ‘With Hashem, your G-d’.
‘Another midrash says:’Like a person who sticks together two pieces of timber, as to which there are two cases: When they are equal and aligned, AND when they are crooked, and not aligned.
‘The difference is, that in the second case, you need to straighten the crookedness, before being able to cause the two pieces to adhere - whereas in the first case - since they are perfectly aligned - there is no need to do so.
‘Similarly: Hashem adjures us to ‘cleave to Him’ - and as Hashem is upright and righteous, one who wants to cleave to Him, has to also be ‘upright and righteous’.
‘This is the meaning of the injunction in our parsha: ‘Be wholehearted with Hashem’, as then ‘you will be with Hashem’ - remove any crookedness in you, as only then, will you be able to cleave to Hashem, as ( Haazinu ):’הצור תמים: all His ways are wholehearted’.
לרפואת נועם עליזה בת זהבה רבקה ונחום אלימלך רפאל בן זהבה רבקה, בתוך שאר חולי עמנו.