Shabbos Parashas Shoftim - 5776
Shabbos Parashas Shoftim - 5776
Rabbi Hal Miller
Whole you shall be with Hashem your G-d. [Devarim 18:13]
The word tamim could be translated as whole, complete, innocent, or unsophisticated.
What does the Torah mean here by being whole?
Rav Moshe Feinstein expounds Rashi's view: "Rashi means that people should not even
want to try to uncover the secrets of the future, even through a prophet. Instead, we must
go in faith and trust that whatever Hashem does will be for the best." The context of our
verse is the command to listen to a true prophet for the future instead of to sorcerers or
astrologers. Rashi sees it as we should be wholly without interest in seeing future events.
The Chafetz Chaim says that this verse is to separate our levels of trust between ourselves
and Hashem as opposed to ourselves and other humans. He says that we must trust G-d
completely, but must be careful regarding our trust in other people.
Rav Hirsch ties the completeness of our faith in G-d to the completeness of His Oneness.
He goes on to say that we must completely eradicate the heathen ways from our lives, and
instead dedicate every fibre of our being to our relationship with G-d.
Numerous others explain this verse as referring to whole-heartedness. Sforno, for example,
says that it means we will not even try to gain information about the future except through
a proven prophet.
Nechama Leibowitz connects the term to the Shema, where we are commanded to love
G-d "with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." She explains this
by pointing out Isaiah 29:13, "And with their mouth and with their lips do honor Me, but
have removed their heart far from Me." Thus, the opposite of whole-hearted "is a
disharmony between the inner and outer man, between words and deeds." Her definition
of "whole" in our verse, then, is that we will be consistent in word and deed with G-d.
Ramban seems to imply that this is a commandment for us to emulate G-d. He is holy
and complete, so too should we be.
It is for us to place ourselves completely in His hands.