The Powers of the Soul to Experience God
Introduction: The Internal Dimension | |||||||||||
| Emunah | Ta'anug | Ratzon | Bitul | Simchah | Yichud | Ahavah | |||||
| Yirah | Rachamim | Bitachon | Temimut | Emet | Shiflut | ||||||
"Sincerity"
Temimut is the spiritual state associated with the sefirah of hod. There are three general levels of temimut:
- temimut haratzon (sincerity of will).
- temimut halev (sincerity of heart).
- temimut hama'aseh (sincerity of action).
Temimut always implies "completeness." In one's Divine service, temimut at the level of will represents one's "complete" will to fulfill God's will. This level of emotion is relatively makif ("surrounding" in nature) and does not necessarily penetrate into the inner domains and emotions of one's soul, those directly responsible for one's physical actions.
At the level of heart, temimut represents the total "seriousness" one experiences in all of his devoted effort to serve God.
At the level of action, temimut represents one's sense of "down to earth" commitment and dedication to meticulously fulfill each and every detail of God's commandments. In general, Chassidut teaches that of all the emotions of the heart, temimut, in all its aspects, is an innate gift of God to the Jewish soul, the "hardest" attribute to be acquired through conscious effort.
| Temimut: | represents: |
| haratzon | will to fulfill God's will |
| halev | seriousness and devoted effort to serve God |
| hama'aseh | commitment to fulfill each and every detail of God's commandments. |
Just as temimut implies "completeness," so does it imply "simplicity." Temimut is the essential attribute of the "simple Jew." (Note that hod is the root of the word Yehudi–Jew.) Throughout the Bible, temimut appears as an idiom together with the verb "to walk." It is the left foot (associated with the sefirah of hod ) that "controls" the power to walk (as stated in Sefer Yetzirah). With temimut, the Jew walks in the way of God and in essence walks with God.
