Clinging to God: Understanding Divine Love Beyond Human Limits

While we are familiar with the concept of love, our understanding of it is limited to natural forms of love, such as the love of parents for their children, children for their parents, a husband for his wife, or love between friends. All these types of love are conditional and dependent on something. Even parents who love their children do so within certain limits, often influenced by how their children relate to them.

Human love is tied to self-love. Parents are naturally wired to love their children, and when their children suffer, the parents feel the pain as if it were their own.

To illustrate, consider a father who has a beloved two-year-old son whom he hasn’t seen all day. When the father returns from work, the child runs to greet him. The father immediately picks him up, hugs, and kisses him. He will hold him for five or ten minutes and he will then put him down. If the child refuses, the father might distract him with candy or a toy. If the child were older — five, six, seven, the father isn't likely to carry him at all.

For God, there is no such thing as “annoying,” “burdensome,” or “too much.” On the contrary, the more a person clings to their Creator, the more God delights in them.

God’s love is beyond human comprehension. It is limitless, unconditional, and infinitely greater than any natural love we know. He loves His people so much that He never tires of them, even if they speak to Him all day long. He takes great pleasure in His children when they strive to know Him and deepen their faith, when they stand firm against all the “enemies of faith” — whether those enemies are doubts, materialism, chance, or outright denial of God’s reality. Such people bring God immense joy, and He is eager to shower them with goodness and reward both in this world and the next.

The word “cling” (to another person) tends to have a negative connotation in human relationships. People don’t like others to cling to them, to visit too often, repeat the same requests, or demand too much attention.

In our relationshiph with God however, devekut (clinging) is the highest ideal. It is the path of the righteous, as the Torah commands: “You shall fear the Lord your God, serve Him, and cling to Him” (Deuteronomy 10:20), and “You who cling to the Lord your God are all alive today” (Deuteronomy 4:4). God wants us to cling to Him constantly. For Him, it is no burden or trouble if we remain attached to Him day and night — in fact, it is the mark of the truly righteous.

The Rambam, in The Guide for the Perplexed, explains that the more a person focuses their thoughts on God and speaks with Him, the greater their spiritual stature becomes.

Most parents hope their children will eventually become independent, and be able to manage their affairs without constantly relying on them. The more independent the child, the more at ease the parent feels.

With God however, it’s the opposite. The more a person feels dependent on Him, the more beloved they are to Him. The more a person removes their trust from themselves and places it fully in God, the closer they come to their ultimate spiritual goal.

This dependence should extend even to the smallest, most basic needs that we normally take for granted, such as walking, sitting, standing, opening our eyes, putting on clothes or shoes. Would any earthly father want his grown child to depend on him for such simple tasks?

God says the opposite: “Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you” (Psalms 55:23). Cast all your burdens — even the smallest details, upon Him. Trust Him for everything, and thank Him for everything. Bless Him for every act — “Who straightens the bent,” “Who frees the bound,” “Who gives sight to the blind,” “Who clothes the naked”.

By acknowledging even the simplest abilities as gifts from God, you are declaring your reliance on Him which brings you closer to your true purpose. For God, it is never a nuisance when you depend on Him for every detail of your life. On the contrary, it is the very perfection of faith He desires from you.