by Rabbi Russ Resnik

God is after our hearts.

The opening passage of this week's parasha concludes with these words: "This very day the LORD your God is commanding you to observe these statutes and ordinances; so observe them diligently with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deut. 26:16, NRSV). The phrase "with all your heart and with all your soul" (b'chol levav'cha, uv'chol nafshecha) recurs seven times throughout Deuteronomy, most famously in the Shema: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut. 6:5)

Three additional times the phrase appears in the plural rather than the singular form, and this 7 + 3, or ten-fold, recurrence is no accident. Rather, it emphasizes a core message of Deuteronomy, which is a core message of these final days of preparation before the Days of Awe from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur (September 29-October 9): God is after our hearts.

We might think of heart as one aspect of the personality, in contrast with others. For example, we sometimes speak of the heart versus the head-the emotional side of ourselves versus the rational side (although it might be more up-to-date to speak of left brain versus right brain). In the Scriptures, however, "heart" signifies the whole person, the real me. To make this meaning clear, Deuteronomy links heart with soul ten times, demanding that we serve God, as David Stern translates in the Complete Jewish Bible, "with all your heart and all your being." The Shema makes it even clearer: "love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources" (CJB). These are not three compartments of the human psyche, but a three-fold way of describing the whole person, from our core outward to our belongings.   

The notion of heart as the emotional self in contrast with the rational self, or the private person in contrast with the public, does great damage. It can lead us to think that our outward behavior does not matter so much, as long as we really love God and believe in him -in some deeply inward way. We let ourselves off the hook of accountability and integrity. Or we let others off the hook, failing to maintain the clear standards that apply to followers of Yeshua, because "his heart is in the right place." But in Torah, heart is always linked with action:

"Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and always keep all my commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!" (Deut. 5:29, NKJV).

So, when we say that God is after our hearts, we do not mean that he wants to go on a sentimental journey with us, or that he is happy as long as we have the right feelings deep down inside. Rather, he is after the whole person, after a response that begins at the core and shows up outwardly in our actions, in the way we treat people, in what we do with our time and energy.

During this season of spiritual preparation, which is a season of preparing our hearts, perhaps we need to be tougher on ourselves. Yes, we have the assurance of forgiveness and restoration through the Messiah Yeshua. The blood of Messiah cleanses us from all sin. But this same Messiah says, "you shall know them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:16), and "if you love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15), which does not sound so different from "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me and always keep all my commandments . . ."

God is after our hearts, which means our whole person, including our actions toward others. We might do well, therefore, to heed some of the old Jewish traditions for the period leading up to Rosh Hashanah, such as those described by SY Agnon in his book, "Days of Awe" (New York: Schocken Books, 1995).

"All the month of Elul [the month before Rosh Hashanah] before eating and sleeping let every man sit and look into his soul, and search his deeds, that he may make confession. . . .

"Once on the New Moon of Elul, the zaddik [holy man] Rabbi Levi Isaac of Berditchev was standing at his window. A Gentile cobbler passed by and asked him, ‘And have you nothing to mend?' At once the zaddik sat himself down on the ground and weeping bitterly cried, ‘Woe is me, and alas my soul, for the Day of Judgment [Rosh Hashanah] is almost here, and I have still not mended myself!'"

Now, of course, we cannot really mend ourselves-Yeshua is the one who restores our soul and heals our broken hearts. But we can search our deeds, make confession, straighten out our misdeeds with others, and seek reconciliation with them. All of this is part of preparing our hearts to meet the Lord. Yeshua himself puts it this way: "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23-24, NRSV). Jewish tradition likewise emphasizes that we must make our relationships with others right before we will benefit from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

So, let me suggest a simple practice for the coming weeks: Take time each day, perhaps during your regular time of prayer, to review your deeds over the past year or so. Write down your misdeeds, particularly against others, and what you need to do about them, including specific plans to speak with those you have offended. Follow through, if at all possible, before Yom Kippur.

I must admit that I find some statements in Deuteronomy, like some in Matthew, to be rather intimidating, especially when they come after my heart: "So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being" (Deut. 10:12-13, NRSV). What does the Lord require? "Only" perfect obedience and wholehearted service! But, of course, there is grace. Let us not use grace as an excuse, but as an incentive to devote ourselves wholeheartedly-actions included-to the Lord. This week's parasha sets a high standard, indeed, but it promises an even loftier reward:

"Today you have obtained the Lord's agreement: to be your God; and for you to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, his commandments, and his ordinances, and to obey him. Today the Lord has obtained your agreement: to be his treasured people, as he promised you, and to keep his commandments; for him to set you high above all nations that he has made, in praise and in fame and in honor; and for you to be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised." (Deut. 26:17-19, NRSV)