“Ye that did cleave unto the L-RD your G-d are alive every one of you this day.”
– Deuteronomy 4:4, JPS 1917 Tanach
During Moshe’s speech that lasted thirty-seven days, he prepared B’nei Yisrael to enter the Promised Land. He cautioned them, admonished them, and reminded them in a tactful way of previous sins. Rather than naming the sins, he would mention the place where the transgressions occurred.
One such instance that appears a little more direct is when he mentions the matter of Baal-peor, whereof H’Shem punished “all the men that followed the Baal of Peor [the deity of the Midianites]” (Deuteronomy 4:3). He further mentions that those who cleaved to H’Shem, rather than follow the deity, “are alive every one of you this day” (Deuteronomy 4:4, JPS 1917 Tanach).
This juxtaposition makes it clear that those who did not transgress through idolatry and licentiousness were preserved by H’Shem because they “cleaved” to Him. The Hebrew word used for “cleave,” in this instance, is “deveykut.” The word connotes a clinging to H’Shem in the sense of one who is dependent on Him for his sense of well-being.
Deveykut is necessary for hitbodedut (Jewish meditation). Within the practice of hitbodedut, one pours out his heart to H’Shem, hoping for an answer to all of his prayers. Yet, in complete deveykut, one lives his life in constant acknowledgement of the L-RD. Furthermore, he is able to speak to H’Shem from within in his heart in the quiet moments of the day. May we avoid the secular deities of modern society, so that we can cleave to the L-RD in our own lives.
The Tree of Life 