‘Kudsha Berikh Hu Orayta Veyisra’el Kola ḥad’: The Origin of the Expression in Luzzatto’s Commentary on Idra raba

This chapter discusses the well-known saying 'Holy One, blessed be He, the Torah, and Israel are one', which is much quoted in late homiletic and ethical literature. It reviews the statement of the Zohar on the links between the Holy One, the Torah, and Israel and the source of the dictum to their unity. It also corrects the misconceptions that the saying was frequently used in the writings of all the disciples of the Besht nor was it formulated by Besht. The chapter concentrates on the writings of two leaders of hasidism after the Besht, R. Jacob Joseph of Polonnoye and R. Dov Baer, the Maggid of Mezhirech. It demonstrates the ways in which the formula of the unity of the Holy One, the Torah, and Israel was used in the literature of Hasidism, such as in Degel mahaneh efrayim.