Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
כִּי אִם שָׁמֹר תִּשְׁמְרוּן אֶת כָּל הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם לַעֲשֹׂתָהּ לְאַהֲבָה אֶת ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם לָלֶכֶת בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו וּלְדָבְקָה בוֹ׃
If you faithfully keep this Mitzvah that I (God) command you, loving God your Lord, walking in God’s ways, and sticking to God…
The last words are a source for the concept of דְּבֵקוּת (deveikut), which describes being so close to God, it’s like you’re stuck to God.
But what does it mean to be close to God?
וְכִי אֶפְשָׁר לִדַּבּוֹקֵי בַּשְּׁכִינָה? וְהַכְּתִיב "כִּי ה' אֱלֹקֶיךָ אֵשׁ אוֹכְלָה" (דברים ד:כד)!
אֶלָּא כָּל הַמַּשִּׂיא בִּתּוֹ לְתַלְמִיד חָכָם, וְהָעוֹשֶׂה פְּרַקְמַטְיָא לְתַלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים, וְהַמְהַנֶּה תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מִנְּכָסָיו—מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִילּוּ מִדַּבֵּק בַּשְּׁכִינָה.
But is it possible to “stick” to the Shekhinah (God’s Presence)? Isn’t it written that “God is a devouring fire” (Devarim 4:24)? (How can you stick to a fire and not be burned?!)
Actually, it means that if you encourage your children to marry Torah scholars, and help Torah scholars in business, and use your property to benefit Torah scholars—then it’s just like you are sticking to the Shekhinah.
וְיִתָּכֵן שֶׁתִּכְלֹל הַדְּבֵקָה לֵאמֹר שֶׁתִּהְיֶה זוֹכֵר הַשֵּׁם וְאַהֲבָתוֹ תָּמִיד, לֹא תִּפָּרֵד מַחְשַׁבְתְּךָ מִמֶּנּוּ בְּלֶכְתְּךָ בְּדֶרֶךְ וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ, עַד שֶׁיִּהְיוּ דְּבָרָיו עִם בְּנֵי אָדָם בְּפִיו וּבִלְשׁוֹנוֹ, וְלִבּוֹ אֵינֶנּוּ עִמָּהֶם אֲבָל הוּא לִפְנֵי הַשֵּׁם.
Deveikut describes a person who always remembers God and God’s love. Your thoughts should never leave God, even “when you walk on your way, when you lie down, and when you wake up” (like we say in Shema). While a person with deveikut speaks with other people with their mouth and tongue, their heart is never with them, but always before God.
The Gemara explains that deveikut is something we gain when we are close to Torah scholars.
Ramban says we achieve deveikut when we focus our hearts and minds on God entirely.
- Do you feel close to any teachers of Torah? Why might being close to them be like being close to God? What does Torah knowledge have to do with closeness to God?
- If you could keep God in mind when you’re just going about your day, walking from place to place, or even talking to other people, what might happen? Try it out! Notice if it makes you feel different or behave differently.
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