There is a ‘strange’ Targum onkelus in this weeks sedra which can be missed if blinking during shnayim mikra (or laining for the yemenites out there!). The pasuk says (18;13) ‘you should be “tamim” [lit. pure/unblemished] with HaShem.’ Onkelus translates the word “tamim” as ‘shalem,’ meaning complete. What is the depth of this new translation?
The introduction to sefer Chovas Halevavos explains that there are 2 types of mitzvos; mitzvos which are physical acts, eg shaking a lulav and mitzvos which are rooted in the brain/lev so to speak eg Emunah, ahavas HaShem, etc. And even within
each mitzvah there are parts of each – one’s kavana during physical mitzvos is a brain thing, and ahavas HaShem should manifest itself in one’s ways. It is this combination of physical acts of mitzvos (maaseh) and the appropriate mind/lev -set (da’as) which is the ultimate goal, and once these are utilised properly one can become ‘shalem’ (complete).
This is perhaps what the Targum means when he translates the word ‘tamim’ [unblemished] as ‘complete,’ for the way to remove neshama stains and blemishes is to become a shalem by using the facets of daas and maaseh together and at their strongest. However, it should be noted that the rest of the Targum onkelus says the pasuk refers to fear of HaShem; and so this could alter the above explanation of the pasuk – but the principle of what ‘completeness’ is still remains very much true and in tact.
THE MORAL….THINK WHEN DOING A MITZVAH; IT’S NOT JUST A ROUTINE!
