Donned in dveikut

There are those who are and those who live beyond the “are.”

Those people are often rare and you’re lucky to know you’ve met one when you have. But like the 36 hidden tzadikim, there are those who live beyond us, among us.

I’m sure I’ve met more in my lifetime. But over the last 4 years, I’ve come to know two groups of “beyonders.” One four years ago and one just over a month. Fascinatingly enough, both have very different stories, foundations and reasons to look at G-d and the world and reject.

Although upon first glance one would say their common denominator is grief, their existence shows us otherwise.

I don’t think the details are necessary, but there is a phrase in Hebrew that articulates simply, that their kindness is, “לא מובן מאליו.” The kind of love and warmth they have isn’t a given. Yet that is all they are giving.

I’m truly in awe of these people. They understand Dveikut.

Maybe we can try and understand Dveikut through nature and science, since both are mediums of G-dly expression in the world.

Physics and chemistry teach us the laws of density. If the object is more dense than water, it will sink, and if less so, it will remain above the surface.

I once heard Dveikut explained as “melting into Hashem” and it becomes more beautiful and more intriguing as time moves forward and the world becomes increasingly less logical. Melting into Hashem is built on a premise of trust, love and joy. All three essential elements in aligning oneself with G-d.

If one takes an empty vessel and places it in water, the vessel will have a greater chance of floating, remaining separate (in a sense) from the body of water. However, if the vessel was full of water, the vessel would submerge and “melt” into the entirety of the water.

Now we can understand.

Maybe one of the first steps in “melting into Hashem” is to first fill ourselves with Hashem. To create within ourselves a mayan (spring) of Divinity. So that when we find ourselves facing the task of accepting Hashem’s design, it will be the most natural thing in the world. Holding mitzvot close to us will be like breathing, kindness like eating and prayer more natural than sleep.

We learn that when Hashem created the world, He looked into the Torah and then began. We’ve been blessed with the same sentiment. We too, can look into the Torah and create ourselves.

I think these two families have unlocked the code to Creation. Through their trust, love and joy—and most significantly their ability to share them with the world.

Connection is the universal donor of emotion.

Connection to G-d, others and ourselves can literally draw us between life and death. Joy and sorrow, fear and faith.

Two examples of our Chachamim that emulate this connection.

The Ibn Ezra often offers commentary on the grammar of the Torah. Questions and curiosity that guide his answers from truth to truth. Most beautiful, in my opinion, is his choice of words when a phrase in Tanach stands out to him; “אין לי חבר במקרא.” Not a note of confusion or argument, but rather the most pristine and authentic way to read the magical words of Torah: personally.

The Ibn Ezra feels such a personal relationship to Torah that if a word stands out to him, he feels as though there is lacking connection. He doesn’t know “who” this is, but he intends to discover it with all of who he is, and then therefore share that with the world.

Dveikut. Fill yourself with the questions, curiosity and answers of Torah and share that with the world.

The second, Rav Lau, upon reading an 1000 year old Torah scroll brought to Israel after being kept safe and sacred in Ethiopia. According to spectators, Rav Lau could not even get through a few Pasukim without crying. Authentic joy and awe of Torah.

Dveikut. Fill yourself with the raw, real and passionate emotions of Torah and share that with the world.

If/when we achieve that state of trust in eternity, we’ve become those who not just are, but those who were, are and will be.

May we be so blessed.

In the zchut of refuah תניה בת הודה מרגלית and the Geulah of Am Yisrael.