Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Deveikus
דביקות
Cleaving to G‑d (deveikus)
Cleaving to G‑d: the soul’s longing and binding to its source, joining its thought, speech and action to Him; through Torah and mitzvos it cleaves even to what lies beyond its grasp.
The word The root דבק also describes plain or negative clinging (the externals that cling to Israel, the body’s pull). As a concept it is the soul’s cleaving to G‑d (לדבקה בו, ובו תדבקון); “אתדבקות רוחא ברוחא” (spirit cleaving to spirit, the “kisses”) is a related usage.
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3, ¶5There are two loves: one that rises by itself from contemplating “Havayah is one” and seeks nothing (the level of the elite), and one that desires and longs to cleave to Him, which is in every Jew’s heart: “VeAhavta.” Yet one cannot cleave to Him, for no thought grasps Him, except through the Torah.
ואהבה השנית הוא שחפץ ומשתוקק לדבקה בו ית׳ וזה יש בלב כל אחד ואחד מישראל
- Likkutei Torah, Reeh 2, ¶17“And to Him you shall cleave” is in the plural, for the soul has nefesh, ruach and neshamah: thought, speech and action. Thought is bound through the soul’s cleaving and joy in the living G‑d; action, the lowest level, is bound only through the service of a servant, which is also the service of one whose understanding cannot produce strong love.
והנה התקשרות המחשבה היא בדביקות הנפש ושמחתה באלהים חיים
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶8As G‑d’s ten sefiros draw His light into the worlds, so the soul has ten powers; man’s service is to bind them to His intellect and attributes, to bind himself through them to the Or Ein Sof clothed in them, “to Him, not to His attributes.” This is through Torah, His Chochmah, Binah and Daas, and through cleaving to His attributes.
וזהו עבודת האדם לקשר כל בחי׳ הנפש בשכל ומדות של הקב״ה הנק׳ ע״ס והיינו להתקשר עי״ז באור א״ס המלובש בהן
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2, ¶4Even in their root the souls run with longing to cleave to Ein Sof, “your desire shall be to your husband,” because they are “earth,” the lowest level, a separate being. So too the soul below, contemplating how He creates all worlds from nothing, longs to cleave to Him, “for He is your life.”
וכן בחי׳ כללות נש״י במקורן ושרשן יש בהן בחי׳ רצוא ברצון ותשוקה לדבקה בו בא״ס ב״ה
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4, ¶5Because He is “Master of wonders” and does wonders, He is “awesome in praises”: one fears to praise Him. But through Torah study and keeping the mitzvos, which are drawn from sovev, the Master of wonders, the soul cleaves to the light that encompasses all worlds.
אבל ע״י עסק התורה וקיום המצות תהיה דביקות הנפש בבחינת סובב כל עלמין אדון הנפלאות
Stated differently
Where the main cleaving is: in prayer, or in Torah and its laws
כי עיקר תכליתו לדבק בקונו באהוי״ר ועיקר הדביקות הוא בתפלה שהתיבות הם יותר קרובים להבנת האדםThe soul descends chiefly to cleave to its Maker with love and awe, and the main cleaving is in prayer, whose words are closer to a person’s understanding; before and after its life in the body the soul cleaves more, for the body holds it back.
והעצה האמיתית הוא עסק התורה והלכותיה עם היותן מלובשים בדברים גשמיים תחתוניםThe true counsel is the study of the Torah and its laws: even though they are clothed in low, physical matters, such as the laws of seeds and festivals, they are the ultimate union with Him and cleaving to Him.
Whether the soul can cleave to G‑d’s essence through contemplation
אמנם למעלה מזה היא האהבה והדביקות הנמשכת מצד ההתבוננות בעצמות אור א״סAbove the love born of contemplating how He gives life and creates the worlds is the love and cleaving drawn from contemplating the essence of Or Ein Sof, before which even the worlds’ nullification is no praise.
לפי שהוא ית׳ בעצמו הוא אדון הנפלאות ועושה פלא ואינו בכלל השגת הנפש ודבקותה ולכך היא בבחי׳ שובThe soul’s cleaving to its root comes from grasping the life spread from Or Ein Sof into the worlds, and this is ratzo. He Himself, “Master of wonders,” is not within the soul’s grasp and cleaving, and so it turns back (shov).
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3, ¶5Likkutei Torah, Reeh 2, ¶17Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41, ¶8Likkutei Torah, Chukas 7, ¶2Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2, ¶4Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4, ¶4Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4, ¶5
Where it appears
In 228 paragraphs of 132 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 1 ¶1 ¶2 ¶4 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 9 ¶1 ¶4 ¶7 ¶8 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶19 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 2 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 3 ¶8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 6 ¶5 ¶10 ¶38
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 11 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 4 ¶1 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶1 ¶22 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 5 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶16 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶12 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶3 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 7 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 1 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 3 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 4 ¶4 ¶5 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Ki Sisa 1 ¶8 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶8 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 3 ¶3 ¶12 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 10 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶16 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 7 ¶3 ¶6 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 5 ¶8 ¶13 ¶19 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 15 ¶8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 6 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 6 ¶1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 3 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 1 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Vayishlach 6 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶4 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶9 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶10 ¶11 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 19 ¶1 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36 ¶2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 1 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 2 ¶4 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2 ¶19 ¶20 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 2 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 6 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 15 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 20 ¶16 ¶22 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5 ¶8 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 1 ¶3 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 1 ¶7 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 1 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 1 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶52
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶1 ¶9 ¶14 ¶17 ¶18 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶27 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 10 ¶2 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 1 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 10 ¶5 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 12 ¶4 ¶5 ¶6 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 3 ¶2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 12 ¶8 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26 ¶7 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 28 ¶2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 1 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 4 ¶5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 5 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 1 ¶1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶8 ¶14 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Parshas Zachor 1 ¶5 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 2 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 1 ¶2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 1 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶4 ¶5 ¶7 ¶14 ¶17 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Noach 1 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 7 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶10 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Kedoshim 2 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 3 ¶5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶2 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 5 ¶31
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶13 ¶26
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 8 ¶4 ¶5 ¶11 ¶12 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4 ¶3 ¶7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 4 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 7 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 6 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 24 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 9 ¶6 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 11 ¶10 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 4 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 3 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 2 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 7 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 1 ¶17 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 2 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 15 ¶11 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Terumah 1 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 4 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 9 ¶3 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 7 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Savo 2 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 1 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Bo 2 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶35
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 2 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 7 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 5 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 5 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 7 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 3 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 4 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 4 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Noach 2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 1 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 10 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 3 ¶17
Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.