The Torah asks us to serve God with a whole heart. No tricks, no pretenses, no clever calculations—just plain, honest devotion. "You will be tamim (wholehearted) with the Eternal your God" (Deut. 18:13).
The Midrash takes this verse a step further, reading it as if ti-yeh—"you will be"—were written twice. If "you will be wholehearted," then, in turn, "you will be with God."
The Maggid illustrated this with a parable:
A carpenter set out to glue two boards together. Now, if the boards are smooth and straight, the job is easy—spread the glue, press the pieces together, and voilà, they hold firm.
But if the boards are warped, things get complicated. He must study them from every angle, twist them this way and that, shave off a little here, sand down a bit there, just to get them to fit.
(Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 438-439)
And so, the Maggid said, it is with cleaving to God. If a person is straightforward, the connection comes naturally, like two smooth boards joining effortlessly. But if he is bent—his motives tangled, his integrity warped—then he’ll find himself struggling, adjusting, making excuses, trying to force a fit that just won’t hold.
That, the Torah warns, is why we must be tamim. Be honest. Be sincere. Align your heart and actions. And then? Then you will find yourself with God, as easily as two straight boards becoming one.(Adapted from Mishlei Yaakov, pp. 438-439)
