The Greatness of Being Tamim
By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah
In Parshas Shoftim appears a commandment: “Be tamim with Hashem” (Devarim 18:13). Tamim roughly translates as “whole” or “complete” in a spiritual sense. Rashi (ibid.) explains that the intent here is that we must not concern ourselves with knowing the future before it happens (as gentiles of the ancient world tried to do, via witchcraft or sorcery), but rather to rely on Hashem.
Rashi adds that one who is tamim with Hashem merits to be “with Hashem and within Hashem’s portion.” The Baal HaTurim notes further that the Hebrew letter tav of tamim is written larger than the other letters, to imply that one who is tamim with Hashem is as if he has “fulfilled the entire Torah from alef until tav” (i.e. the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet).
Why does being tamim with Hashem, and not trying to find out the future, give a person such greatness?
Also, we see the word tamim (or a more basic form — tam) in different contexts, unrelated to the idea of not looking into the future. Before giving Avraham Avinu the command of circumcision, Hashem told him: “Go before Me and be tamim” (Bereishis 17:1). Yaakov Avinu was called tamim in regard to his dwelling in the tents of Torah study (“ish tam yoshev ohalim” ibid. 25:27). When Noach (ibid. 6:9) is defined as “tzaddik tamim,” this term encompasses all his righteous ways during an era of evil. Is there a connection between these diverse ideas?
The Slonimer Rebbe explains that in all cases, a tam is someone who nullifies his will before the will of Hashem. Rashi defines tamim as “not investigating into the future,” but why would a person want to know the future? So he can use this information to bring about his will. One who accepts Hashem’s will and tries to make it his own has no need to know the future. I accept Hashem’s will, so what need do I have to know it ahead of time?
We can now understand why Rashi and the Baal HaTurim attribute such greatness to one who is tamim with Hashem. He has reached the great spiritual level of subjugating his entire being to Hashem. For us as well, our challenge is to accept our lot in life and not question why Hashem does what He does. This is our fulfillment of the command to be tamim.
In Shemos Rabba (2:5), it states that the Jewish Nation reached the great level of temimus when all Jews together declared “Naaseh VeNishma.” This was total self-nullification before the will of Hashem. It didn’t matter what Hashem would command them, whether it was hard or easy, because their only desire was to do His will.
We as well should strive to reach this level of temimus. When we have the opportunity to do a mitzvah, it does not matter if we connect to it or understand its depth. Nor should we worry that it may be too hard to do. We should simply feel happy that we are fulfilling Hashem’s will. This is called being tamim with Hashem.
When a Jew wants only to fulfill mitzvos in the best possible way because this is Hashem’s will, his temimus brings him very close to Hashem. The sages (Nedarim 32a) say that a Jew who is tamim is even closer to Hashem than the angels. In addition, if he lives this way consistently over years, he even develops the power to help Klal Yisrael. In Moed Katan (16b), Hashem states: “I control man, but who controls Me? The tzaddik.”
Rav Yechezkel Sarna explains that a tzaddik “controls” Hashem because he always subjugates his own will to Hashem’s will. Therefore, Hashem does the same for the tzaddik — midda keneged midda. Even if the behavior of the Jewish people incurs for them a harsh decree from Hashem, since the tzaddik loves his people and cannot bear to see them suffer, Hashem honors his will.
Is there a way for us to reach such a level? Harav Sarna says there is, through yiras Shamayim. One should think regularly, consistently over time, “What does Hashem want from me? What is His will in this particular situation, based on who I am? How would He want me to act?” Even if he is not at the level of a tzaddik, if Hashem’s will is before him, little by little, over the years it will become a part of him.
My father was a man who carved out the path of a ben Torah in the United States when the entire culture was against him. After he married, he learned Torah full-time, even though the concept of kollelim did not yet exist in America.
Only when it became absolutely necessary did my father begin looking for a position where he could teach Torah. The only job he found was in a day school far away from where we lived in New York. My father would spend a week or more teaching out-of-town before coming home, only to set out again a day or two later. Our family lived this way for many years, but we never felt that we were sacrificing for Torah, because we saw that my father was perfectly happy with the situation. He knew that this was what Hashem wanted of him. Even if someone else would have found such a way of life difficult, my father saw no difficulty in this at all, since this was Hashem’s will.
May we make Hashem’s will our own!