{"id":49590,"date":"2019-02-17T13:26:05","date_gmt":"2019-02-17T11:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=49590"},"modified":"2022-09-11T09:57:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T06:57:47","slug":"devekut-sticking-to-god-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/devekut-sticking-to-god-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"Devekut \u2013 \u201cSticking to God\u201d \u2013 Then and Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[384,832],"acf":{"old_id":"49590","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"157","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The ingredients of a sticky theology","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our chapter, in which Moses continues his farewell oration to Israel, has been described as a \u201cGuide to Right Behavior\u201d. In celebrating one parade example of right behavior, Moses says to those assembled before him: \u201c\u2026 you, who held fast [ha-DeVeKim] to the Lord your God, are all alive today\u201d (verse 4, see also Deut. 2:22, 10:20, 11:22, 13:5, 30:20). Etymologically, the Hebrew three letter verbal root d-v-k has the core meaning of \u201cto stick\u201d. So, we English speakers might say &#8212; using a rather colloquial expression &#8212; that Moses is blessing Israel for their \u201cstick-to-itness\u201d in obeying the commands of God. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indeed, the Talmud (Sanhedrin 64a) relates to the core meaning of the Hebrew root D-V-K in a veritably palpable interpretation of our verse: \u201cyou, who \u2018stick to\u2019 the Lord your God\u201d are like two dates stuck to each other. It should be noted that dates are not only sticky but, being the source of what Israelis call \u201csilan\u201d (date-honey), are also intensely sweet! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The consuming intensity of \u201csticking to God\u201d is illustrated by the depiction of Rabbi Akiva, who when praying alone would begin in one corner of his room and end in the opposite corner, apparently oblivious of his own ecstatic bows and prostrations (Berakhot 34a). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Talmud (Ketubot 111b), in another interpretation of our verse, ponders the theological question: How is it possible for a human being to \u201cstick to\u201d God and live? For, elsewhere in the same chapter it is said that \u201cGod is a devouring fire\u201d (verse 24)! In answer to this question, we are told to support Torah-worthy causes. And in answer to a similar question, we are told (Sotah 14a) to \u201cwalk after the Lord, your God\u201d (Deuteronomy 13:5), by emulating His \u201chumane\u201d behavior in clothing the naked (see Genesis \u00a03:21), visiting the sick (see Genesis 18:1), comforting mourners (see Genesis 25:11) and burying the dead (see Deuteronomy 34:6). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the possible risk of \u201csticking (<em>devekim<\/em>) to God\u201d, there evolved in later Judaism the variously interpreted concept of <em>devekut<\/em>, surveyed in the classic essay by Gershom Scholem, \u201c<em>Devekut<\/em> or Communion with God\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Review of Religion<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 14, 1949-1950, pp. 115-139). Whatever the complicated intellectual ramifications of our verse, when it is recited as part of the Torah service, we may still proudly hear ourselves &#8212; together with our biblical forebears &#8212; being blessed by Moses: \u201c\u2026you, who \u201cstick to\u201d God, are all alive today\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image by: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Africa Studio<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\/ Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":49597,"id":49597,"title":"Dt4-sticky_169710254","filename":"Dt4-sticky_169710254.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-sticky_169710254.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/devekut-sticking-to-god-then-and-now\/dt4-sticky_169710254\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt4-sticky_169710254","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":49590,"date":"2019-02-17 11:23:25","modified":"2019-02-17 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\u2013 \u201cSticking to God\u201d \u2013 Then and Now","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"The ingredients of a sticky theology","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":49597,"id":49597,"title":"Dt4-sticky_169710254","filename":"Dt4-sticky_169710254.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Dt4-sticky_169710254.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/devekut-sticking-to-god-then-and-now\/dt4-sticky_169710254\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt4-sticky_169710254","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":49590,"date":"2019-02-17 11:23:25","modified":"2019-02-17 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