"תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם ה' אֱלֹקיךָ "
The Midrash explains the verse, "Be complete [tamim] with the Eternal your God" (Deut. 18:13): "Be complete - and then you will be with God."
The Maggid explained this Midrash with the following parable:
There are two situations in which a carpenter binds together boards of wood. Sometimes he is gluing together straight boards, and sometimes he must glue together crooked boards.
When the boards are crooked, the carpenter must work hard. He must carefully examine both pieces of wood and determine what is the optimal way to attach the two boards together.
But when the boards are perfectly straight, the carpenter's work is straightforward. He does not have to carefully examine the boards from all sides. He simply spreads the glue on the wood and presses the pieces together.
So too, the Torah tells us to "cleave to God." If a person is not straight, this 'cleaving' will be a difficult matter. One who wishes to cleave to God must correct his faults in order that he will be able to properly connect himself to God.
Therefore the Torah admonishes us to be tamim. We should make sure that our character traits are straight and our actions are honest. And then, as the Midrash explains, we can be with God. We can cleave to God easily, like two straight boards .
(Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 438-439)
