This mitzvah teaches that spiritual growth depends greatly on who surrounds a person. A person is shaped by the voices he listens to, the people he spends time with, and the examples he treats as important.

Today, cleaving to those who know Hashem can include having a rebbi — Torah teacher, asking guidance from a rav, learning from talmidei chachamim, joining a Torah-centered community, and building friendships with people who increase one’s yiras Shamayim — awe of Heaven.

This mitzvah also trains humility. A person must admit that he cannot grow only from himself. He needs people who have walked further in Torah, refined their character, and learned how to live before Hashem with steadiness.

The mitzvah is deeply practical. A person who attaches himself to serious Torah people slowly absorbs a different way of living. He becomes more careful with speech, more honest in business, more steady in learning, more sensitive in mitzvos, and more aware that life is meant to be lived before Hashem.

Rambam

• Source: Rambam, Sefer HaMitzvos, Positive Mitzvah 6; Mishneh Torah, Hilchos De’os 6:2.
• Rambam defines this mitzvah as the command to attach oneself to the sages and their students, in order to learn from their deeds. He explains that one should connect with talmidei chachamim — Torah scholars, marry into their families, eat and drink with them, do business with them, and join oneself to them in every possible way. Rambam shows that דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving is lived through real connection to people shaped by Torah.

Sefer HaChinuch

• Source: Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 434.
• Sefer HaChinuch explains that the root of this mitzvah is that a person is influenced by those close to him. By attaching to wise and righteous people, he learns their ways and is drawn toward goodness. The mitzvah teaches that spiritual growth is not only private effort. It is also built through holy surroundings and faithful relationships.

Tanchuma

• Source: Midrash Tanchuma, Re’eh 3.
• Tanchuma teaches that after Sinai, Hashem placed before Israel a clearer path of individual responsibility, blessing, and curse. The Midrash gives a mashal of an elder sitting at a crossroads, warning travelers which path begins with difficulty but ends in peace, and which path begins smoothly but ends in thorns. This fits the mitzvah of דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving to those who know Hashem: a person needs guides who can see beyond the first step and lead him toward חיים — true life. The Midrash also notes that in the דור המבול — generation of the Flood, even worthy people like Noach lived amid a corrupt generation, highlighting how deeply a person and a generation are shaped by their surroundings.

Mishlei

• Source: Mishlei 13:20.
• Shlomo HaMelech teaches that one who walks with the wise becomes wise, while one who associates with fools suffers harm. This is one of the clearest pesukim for Mitzvah 12: a person becomes shaped by his companions. Closeness to חֲכָמִים — wise people draws him toward wisdom, while closeness to כְּסִילִים — fools damages his judgment and direction.

Gemara

• Source: Gemara Sukkah 56b.
• The Gemara teaches, “Woe to the wicked, and woe to his neighbor; good for the righteous, and good for his neighbor.” This gives the mitzvah a powerful communal dimension. A person is affected not only by formal teachers, but by the spiritual atmosphere of those near him. Attachment to righteous people brings blessing; attachment to corrupt people brings danger.

Gemara

• Source: Gemara Kesubos 111b.
• The Gemara asks how a person can cleave to Hashem, since Hashem is described as a consuming fire. Chazal answer that one cleaves to Hashem by marrying one’s daughter to a talmid chacham — Torah scholar, doing business with talmidei chachamim, and benefiting them from one’s property. This is the central Chazal source for the mitzvah.

Gemara

• Source: Gemara Pesachim 49a.
• The Gemara teaches the importance of attaching oneself to talmidei chachamim and marrying into families of Torah. This shows that Torah connection is not only through study. It can shape family, home, and daily life.

Mishnah

• Source: Mishnah Avos 1:4.
• The Mishnah teaches: “Let your house be a meeting place for sages, sit in the dust of their feet, and drink their words with thirst.” This gives the mitzvah a lived form. A Jew should make his home and heart open to Torah wisdom.

Tehillim

• Source: Tehillim 1:1; Midrash Tehillim 1:1.
• Dovid HaMelech opens Tehillim by praising the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, or sit among scoffers. This teaches that spiritual direction is shaped by environment. דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving to those who know Hashem also requires distance from voices and circles that pull a person away from Torah.

Mishnah

• Source: Mishnah Avos 1:6.
• The Mishnah teaches: “Make for yourself a rav and acquire for yourself a friend.” This supports the structure of דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving through Torah relationships. A person needs guidance above him and companionship beside him.

Sifrei

• Source: Sifrei, Eikev 49.
• Sifrei explains “וּבוֹ תִדְבָּק” as cleaving to talmidei chachamim and their students. The Midrash shows that attachment to Hashem must be expressed through attachment to those who carry His Torah.

Devarim Rabbah

• Source: Devarim Rabbah 2:33.
• The Midrash connects cleaving to Hashem with walking in His ways and holding tightly to Torah. A person comes close to Hashem by shaping his life around those who embody Torah and lead others toward Him.

Rashi

• Source: Rashi on Devarim 10:20.
• Rashi explains “וּבוֹ תִדְבָּק” as cleaving to Hashem by cleaving to talmidei chachamim. His comment gives the mitzvah its practical meaning. A person draws near to Hashem by drawing near to those who live with His Torah.

Ramban

• Source: Ramban on Devarim 10:20.
• Ramban explains that cleaving to Hashem means directing the heart constantly toward Him and remaining attached to His service. The connection to talmidei chachamim helps make that inner attachment real, because they model a life held close to Hashem.

Ibn Ezra

• Source: Ibn Ezra on Devarim 10:20.
• Ibn Ezra explains the pasuk as a command to remain attached to Hashem and not turn away from Him. His reading highlights loyalty. דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving means a person does not let his heart drift toward other powers, values, or ways of life.

Sforno

• Source: Sforno on Devarim 10:20.
• Sforno explains that cleaving to Hashem means seeking closeness through knowledge of Him and service of Him. This mitzvah therefore points a person toward those who know Hashem more deeply, because their guidance helps him attach his own life to Hashem.

Abarbanel

• Source: Abarbanel on Devarim 10.
• Abarbanel explains that this pasuk gathers the main duties of the servant of Hashem: fear Him, serve Him, cleave to Him, and swear by His Name. דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving is part of a full life of loyalty, where the person’s relationships and commitments are shaped by Hashem.

Rabbeinu Bachya

• Source: Rabbeinu Bachya on Devarim 10:20.
• Rabbeinu Bachya teaches that cleaving to Hashem requires the heart to attach itself to Divine wisdom and to those who carry it. A person becomes close to Hashem by keeping company with people whose words and deeds are rooted in Torah.

Chizkuni

• Source: Chizkuni on Devarim 10:20.
• Chizkuni explains that cleaving means remaining loyal and attached to Hashem’s service. The mitzvah calls a person to bind his path to Hashem, not only in belief, but in daily conduct and relationships.

Kuzari

• Source: Kuzari 3:5.
• The Kuzari teaches that spiritual life is shaped by sacred people, sacred times, and sacred practices. Cleaving to those who know Hashem fits this structure because the soul grows through living connection to Torah carriers. A person learns holiness by being near holiness.

Maharal

• Source: Maharal, Nesivos Olam, Nesiv HaTorah, Chapter 1.
• Maharal explains that Torah joins a person to a higher reality beyond ordinary material life. A talmid chacham — Torah scholar is attached to Torah, and through Torah to Hashem. Connecting to such a person helps lift the one who follows him toward that same higher attachment.

Ran

• Source: Derashos HaRan, Derush 5.
• Ran explains that Torah sages guide the nation toward Divine truth and proper judgment. Cleaving to them protects a person from being ruled by impulse or popular thinking. The mitzvah gives spiritual direction through Torah authority and wisdom.

Ritva

• Source: Ritva on Kesubos 111b.
• Ritva explains that the Gemara’s examples show practical forms of attachment to talmidei chachamim. Supporting them, joining with them, and building family connection with them are not side customs. They are ways of fulfilling דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving to Hashem through His Torah.

Rashba

• Source: Rashba, Teshuvos 1:148.
• Rashba discusses the dignity and importance of talmidei chachamim within communal life. His approach shows that connection to Torah scholars preserves the authority of Torah in the community and helps individuals remain attached to Hashem’s wisdom.

Rambam

• Source: Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchos De’os 6:1–2.
• Rambam rules that a person’s nature is influenced by friends and society. Therefore, he must attach himself to righteous people and sit near the wise, so he learns from their deeds. He then brings the mitzvah of cleaving to talmidei chachamim as the practical way to cleave to Hashem.

Shulchan Aruch

• Source: Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 246:1.
• Shulchan Aruch rules that every Jew is obligated to learn Torah. Since Torah learning often requires teachers and sages, this mitzvah is lived through connection to those who can guide a person in Torah. Learning from a rebbi becomes a practical form of cleaving to Torah wisdom.

Shulchan Aruch

• Source: Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah 242:1.
• Shulchan Aruch rules that a person must honor and fear his rebbi — Torah teacher. While that law belongs directly to honor, it also supports this mitzvah because attachment to a rebbi must be built with reverence and seriousness.

Rema

• Source: Rema, Yoreh Deah 246:21.
• Rema discusses supporting Torah scholars and Torah learning. This connects to the Gemara’s form of cleaving through benefiting talmidei chachamim from one’s property. A person can attach himself to Torah not only by receiving wisdom, but by helping it live.

Aruch HaShulchan

• Source: Aruch HaShulchan, Yoreh Deah 246:1–3.
• Aruch HaShulchan explains that Torah learning and connection to teachers are central to Jewish life. A person needs living guidance, not only books. Cleaving to Torah people helps Torah become steady, practical, and real.

Chasam Sofer

• Source: Chasam Sofer, Toras Moshe, Eikev, s.v. “וּבוֹ תִדְבָּק.”
• Chasam Sofer explains that cleaving to talmidei chachamim protects a person’s connection to Hashem in a world full of distraction. A person is pulled by his surroundings. By joining himself to Torah people, he places himself inside a current of kedushah — holiness.

Netziv

• Source: Netziv, HaEmek Davar on Devarim 10:20.
• Netziv explains that cleaving to Hashem means remaining attached to His ways with steadiness. This is strengthened through connection to those who know Torah and live with Divine service. The mitzvah builds a stable path, not a passing inspiration.

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch

• Source: Rav Hirsch on Devarim 10:20.
• Rav Hirsch teaches that cleaving to Hashem means making Him the center of one’s whole life. Since Hashem is not physical, this attachment becomes visible through loyalty to His Torah and closeness to people who embody it.

Malbim

• Source: Malbim on Devarim 10:20.
• Malbim distinguishes between fear, service, and cleaving. Fear creates awe. Service creates action. Cleaving creates constant attachment. The mitzvah asks that a person not only obey Hashem, but attach his life to those who keep him close to Hashem.

Meshech Chochmah

• Source: Meshech Chochmah on Devarim 10:20.
• Meshech Chochmah explains that closeness to Hashem must enter the structure of life. A person cannot live with holy ideas while his environment pulls him away. Cleaving to Torah people creates a practical setting where faith and Torah can endure.

Rav Kook

• Source: Rav Avraham Yitzchok HaCohen Kook, Orot HaTorah 2:1.
• Rav Kook teaches that Torah scholars reveal the inner light of Torah within the nation. Connecting to them joins a person to the living soul of Torah. Through this bond, the individual receives direction, depth, and a clearer path toward Hashem.

Baal Shem Tov

• Source: Baal Shem Tov al HaTorah, Eikev.
• The Baal Shem Tov teaches that attachment to tzaddikim — righteous people awakens a person’s own inner attachment to Hashem. Being near a person who lives with Hashem can warm the heart, refine desire, and open the soul to deeper avodah — service.

Tanya

• Source: Tanya, Likutei Amarim, Chapter 2.
• Tanya teaches that the souls of Israel are rooted in Hashem, with deeper revelation in the heads and leaders of the people. Connecting to Torah leaders helps a person receive spiritual life and direction from a higher source within Klal Yisrael.

Sfas Emes

• Source: Sfas Emes, Eikev 5635.
• Sfas Emes teaches that דְּבֵקוּת — cleaving is built through inner attachment to Torah and mitzvos. A person who joins himself to Torah people strengthens his own hidden point of connection to Hashem and learns how to carry holiness into ordinary life.

Kedushas Levi

• Source: Kedushas Levi, Eikev, s.v. “וּבוֹ תִדְבָּק.”
• Kedushas Levi presents cleaving to Hashem as a relationship of love. Since Hashem is beyond physical grasp, the Jew draws close through Torah, mitzvos, and connection to those who love and serve Him. The mitzvah turns closeness into warmth, not only duty.

Shem MiShmuel

• Source: Shem MiShmuel, Eikev 5672.
• Shem MiShmuel explains that a person becomes attached to what he surrounds himself with. When he cleaves to Torah people, his inner powers become gathered toward Hashem. The mitzvah heals spiritual scatteredness by giving the soul a holy center.

Ramchal

• Source: Ramchal, Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter 5.
• Ramchal teaches that one of the greatest aids to spiritual growth is joining with people who seek avodas Hashem — service of Hashem, while one of the greatest dangers is bad company. This mitzvah gives that mussar principle a Torah root: choose closeness that lifts the soul.

Mitzvah 12 appears in the Torah’s command to fear Hashem, serve Him, cleave to Him, and swear by His Name. It belongs to the early foundation mitzvos that shape a Jew’s relationship with Hashem before the Torah moves into more detailed areas of law.

Chazal explain that direct cleaving to Hashem cannot be physical. Hashem has no body and is beyond all physical contact. Therefore, the mitzvah is fulfilled by cleaving to those who know Him: talmidei chachamim, Torah teachers, and people whose lives are shaped by Hashem’s wisdom.

This mitzvah is closely connected to Mitzvah 22, learning and teaching Torah, and Mitzvah 23, honoring those who teach and know Torah. Mitzvah 12 focuses on attachment. Mitzvah 22 focuses on learning. Mitzvah 23 focuses on honor. Together, they create a Torah life of connection, study, and reverence.

The mitzvah also teaches a deep truth about human nature. A person does not grow in isolation. He is shaped by his environment. The Torah therefore commands him to choose closeness wisely and to attach himself to people who bring him closer to Hashem.