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DEUTERONOMY | 18:13 wholehearted — DEUT932 What you must know is that the aim and ob...

DEUT932 What you must know is that the aim and objective of the duties of the heart are for both our outer and inner selves to share equally in serving God; that the heart, tongue, and limbs be consistent in their testimony, that they authenticate each other and bear out one another, rather than oppose and contradict each other. This is what Scripture calls being “wholehearted”: “You must be wholehearted with Hashem your God (Devarim 18:13); He was wholehearted in his generation (Bereshis 6:9); He who acts wholeheartedly does what is right, and speaks the truth from his heart (Tehillim 15:2); I contemplate the wholehearted path; when will I attain it? I will conduct myself with wholeness of heart, within my own house (ibid. 101:2).” Regarding one whose inside is not like his outside, Scripture says: “His heart was not whole with Hashem his God” (Melachim 1, 11: 4); “They flattered Him with their mouths, lied to Him with their tongues; and their hearts were disloyal to Him” (Tehillim 78:36-37). As is well known, if someone contradicts himself or proves himself a liar, whether in speech or in deed, people no longer believe in his integrity and have no confidence in his sincerity. Similarly, if our outer and inner selves are in contradiction, if our talk is not matched by our intentions, if the actions of our limbs are at odds with the convictions of our hearts, then our worship of God is imperfect; for God does not accept insincere service, as it is written: “I cannot tolerate iniquity along with holy assembly” (Yeshayahu 1:13) ...

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Source KeyDUTIES
Verse18:13
Keyword(s)wholehearted
Source Page(s)37
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