Clinging To The Creator
The active form of the word Davak is “Dveikut”, which is a dynamic state of clinging to the Creator. Being in a state of Dveikut is to have the Divine Presence upon you to some degree. In this state, we are filled with awe for the creation and life in general.
There is an important concept we learn from an early verse we see in the Hebrew Bible:
עַל־כֵּן֙ יַֽעֲזָב־אִ֔ישׁ אֶת־אָבִ֖יו וְאֶת־אִמּ֑וֹ וְדָבַ֣ק בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָי֖וּ לְבָשָׂ֥ר אֶחָֽד׃
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cling unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh.- Genesis 2:24
Mining a deeper meaning from the text, the Chasidic masters teach us that all of life is about striving to remove any obstacles in our way so that we may cling (Davak) to the Creator. That’s not so difficult, right?
It is when we recognize that much of our nature, and culture, will oppose this course of action. In addition, we are given a finite amount of time on earth with unique complications, and the oft-paradoxical gift of free will.
Those who have accepted the challenge will ultimately spend much of our days refining ourselves to this end – but here is a secret – it is not expected that we will achieve this in our lifetime, only that we try.
Clinging
The active form of the word Davak is “Dveikut”, which is a dynamic state of clinging to the Creator. Being in a state of Dveikut is to have the Divine Presence upon you to some degree. In this state, we are filled with awe for the creation and life in general. We gain access to insights and thoughts above our normal everyday level, and we generally feel as if we are 'in the zone'.
To strive for this state requires we be careful with the (3) modes of human expression:
- Thoughts
- Deeds
- Words
When we are careful, we can enable the potential to draw closer. When we fail, we increase the separation. It is simple, but not easy.
Obstacles
We must also watch out for the many pitfalls and obstacles that come in our way. And, not just external obstacles - but internal - like a limited mindset, or a negative outlook; gossip, judging others, selfishness, lust, and greed. Another source of separation might be the shows, movies, and music we consume that leave lasting impressions in our minds.
Obstacles can be the foods we eat that adversely impact our health, not getting enough sleep, the failure to set aside time from the busy-ness of life to center and look inwardly.
Some days we will succeed, other days, not so much – but with each failure arises a lesson from which we grow.
A final word, in Hebrew, the word for “obstacle” is a familiar one for most people. Many know it in its commonly personified form – “Satan”.
