blogs/rabbigoldberg

Whole Hearted: Shof'tim 5778

 

Deuteronomy 18:9-13

 

(ט) כִּ֤י אַתָּ�"֙ �'ָּ֣א אֶל־�"ָאָ�"רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־�"' אֱלֹקֶ�-יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ�'ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣�" לַעֲשׂ�"וֹת כְּתוֹעֲ�'ֹ�-ת �"ַ�'ּוֹיִ֥ם �"ָ�"ֵֽם׃ (י) לֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א �'ְךָ�" מַעֲ�'ִ֥יר �'ְּנֽוֹ־וּ�'ִתּ�-וֹ �'ָּאֵ�'שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ�"ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַ�-ֵ�-שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃ (יא) וְ�-ֹ�'ֵ�-ר �-ָ�'�'ֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹ�'֙ וְיִ�"ְּעֹנִ�"י וְ�"ֹרֵ�-שׁ אֶל־�"ַמֵּתִֽים׃ (י�') כִּֽי־תוֹעֲ�'ַ֥ת �"' כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂ�" אֵ�'לֶּ�" וּ�'ִ�'ְלַל֙ �"ַתּוֹעֵ�'ֹ֣ת �"ָאֵ�"לֶּ�" �"' אֱלֹקֶ�"יךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ�-ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ (י�') תָּמִ֣ים תִּֽ�"ְיֶ�"�" עִ�-ם �"' אֱלֹקֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)

 

(9) When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. (10) Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer, (11) one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead. (12) For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to the LORD, and it is because of these abhorrent things that the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you. (13) You must be wholehearted with the LORD your God.

 

Sforno on Deuteronomy 18:13:1 (א) תמים ת�"י�" שלם עמו ש�'ם �'�"רישת �"עתי�"ות לא ת�"רוש �-ולתו א�'ל ת�"רוש ע''י נ�'יא או על י�"י אורים ותומים:

 

(1) תמים ת�"י�", perfect and complete with God. Even when you seek to inquire as to the future you shall inquire of none other than God, through a prophet or the Urim and Tumim.

 

Rashi on Deuteronomy 18:13:1 (א) תמים ת�"י�" עם �"' אלקיך. �"ִתְ�"ַלֵּךְ עִמּוֹ �'ִתְמִימוּת, וּתְצַפֶּ�" לוֹ, וְלֹא תַ�-ֲקֹר אַ�-ַר �"ָעֲתִי�"וֹת, אֶלָּא כָּל מַ�" שֶּׁיָּ�'ֹא עָלֶיךָ קַ�'ֵּל �'ִּתְמִימוּת וְאָ�- תִּ�"ְיֶ�" עִמּוֹ וּלְ�-ֶלְקוֹ:

 

"Be wholehearted with the LORD your God." Walk with God in purity/simplicity/wholeness/integrity and look only to him. Do not investigate future events; rather, accept with equanimity/simplicity whatever God brings you - and then you will be "with" God and with God's portion.

 

Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz (1728--1790)

 

We do not find regarding any other commandment or good quality, from the Torah or the prophets, that a Jew must fulfill it "with the LORD your God." Only regarding the quality of wholeness does Scripture state, "you must be wholehearted with the LORD your God"...About this quality can a person easily deceive others. He can pose as wise and pretend to be a wholehearted person, though when his heart is actually full of deceit and evil tricks....Only in the view of heaven is it really known if this wholeheartedness is true or distorted...Wholeheartedness must be fulfilled from God, who examines people's hearts, for it is possible to deceive mere mortals.