Shekhinah
Encyclopedia
Shekinah is the English spelling of a grammatically feminine Hebrew
word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling divine presence
of God
, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem
.
. (See Exodus 40:35, "Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested [shakhan] upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle
." See also e.g. Genesis 9:27, 14:13, Psalms
37:3, Jeremiah
33:16), as well as the weekly Shabbat
blessing recited in the Temple in Jerusalem
("May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship"). In Mishnaic Hebrew the noun is often used to refer to birds' nesting and nests. ("Every bird nests [shechinot] with its kind, and man with its like, Talmud Baba Kammah 92b.) and can also mean "neighbor" ("If a neighbor and a scholar, the scholar is preferred" Talmud Ketubot 85b).
The word for Tabernacle, mishcan, is a derivative of the same root and is used in the sense of dwelling-place in the Bible, e.g. Psalm
132:5 ("Before I find a place for God, mishcanot (dwelling-places) for the Strong One of Israel.") Accordingly, in classic Jewish thought
, the Shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence
, to the effect that, while in proximity to the Shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable.
Some Christian theologians have connected the concept of Shekhinah to the Greek term "Parousia
", "presence" "arrival," which is used in the New Testament
in a similar way for "Divine Presence".
of the presence of God (shekhinah being a feminine word in Hebrew), based especially on readings of the Talmud
.
throughout Rabbinic literature. It is also reported as being present in the acts of public prayer, ("Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shekhinah rests" Talmud Sanhedrin 39a); righteous judgment ("when three sit as judges, the Shekhinah is with them." Talmud Berachot 6a), and personal need ("The Shekhinah dwells over the headside of the sick man's bed" Talmud Shabbat 12b; "Wheresoever they were exiled, the Shekhinah went with them." Megillah 29a).
expounds a Beraita (oral tradition) which illuminates the manner in which the Kohen Gadol
(High Priest) is to sprinkle the blood of the bull-offering towards the Parochet
(Curtain) separating the Hekhal
(sanctuary) from the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies
):
reports that the Shekinah is what caused prophets to prophesy and King David to compose his Psalms. The Shekinah manifests itself as a form of joy, connected with prophecy and creativity: Talmud Pesachim 117a) The Talmud also reports that "The Shekinah does not rest amidst laziness, nor amidst laughter, nor amidst lightheadedness, nor amidst idle conversation. Rather, it is amidst the joy associated with a mitzvah
that the Shekinah comes to rest upon people, as it is said: 'And now, bring me for a musician, and it happened that when the music played, God's hand rested upon him' [Elisha] [2 Kings 3:15]" (Pesachim 117a). Thus the Shekinah is associated with the transformational spirit of God regarded as the source of prophecy:
The prophets made numerous references to metaphorical visions of the presence of God, particularly in the context of the Tabernacle or Temple
, with figures such as thrones or robes filling the Sanctuary, which have traditionally been attributed to the presence of the Shekhinah. Isaiah
wrote "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple." (Isaiah 6:1). Jeremiah
implored "Do not dishonor the throne of your glory" (Jeremiah 14:21) and referred to "Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary" (Jeremiah 17:12). Ezekiel
spoke of "the glory of the God of Israel was there [in the Sanctuary], according to the vision that I saw in the plain."
, in which the Shekinah has special significance, as having scriptural authority. The word 'Matronit' is also employed to represent this usage.
. Here is a quotation from the beginning of his famous shabbat
hymn:
A paragraph in the Zohar
starts: "One must prepare a comfortable seat with several cushions and embroidered covers, from all that is found in the house, like one who prepares a canopy for a bride. For the Shabbat is a queen and a bride. This is why the masters of the Mishna used to go out on the eve of Shabbat to receive her on the road, and used to say: Come, O bride, come, O bride!' And one must sing and rejoice at the table in her honor ... one must receive the Lady with many lighted candles, many enjoyments, beautiful clothes, and a house embellished with many fine appointments ..."
The tradition of the Shekinah as the Shabbat Bride, the Shabbat Hamalka, continues to this day.
prayer said in Orthodox
, Conservative
, and Reform
services is "Blessed are You, God, who returns His Presence (shekhinato) to Zion."
The Liberal Jewish prayer-book for Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur
(Machzor Ruach Chadashah) contains a creative prayer based on Avinu Malkeinu
, in which the feminine noun Shekhinah is used in the interests of gender neutrality.
, many Christians also consider the Shekhinah to be manifest in numerous instances in the New Testament
.
The public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, published in 1897, says,
References to the Shekhinah in Christianity
often see the presence and the glory of the Lord as being synonymous, as illustrated in the following verse from Exodus;
, or Spirit of Christ) in the believer, drawing parallels to the presence of God in Solomon's Temple
. In contradistinction with the Old Testament where the Holy of Holies signified the presence of God, from the New Testament onwards, it is the Holy Spirit that reminds us of God's abiding presence. Furthermore, in the same manner that the Shekhinah is linked to prophecy in Judaism, so it is in Christianity:
2:9 which refers to the "glory of the Lord" shining on the shepherds at Jesus' birth) as well as spiritual forms (as in John
17:22, where Jesus speaks to God of giving the "glory" that God gave to him to the people). A contrast can be found in Ichabod
, so named as a result of the Ark of the Covenant
being captured by the Philistines
: "The glory is departed from Israel" (1 Samuel 4:22 KJV).
Imam al-Qurtubi mentions in his famous exegesis, in explanation of the mentioned verse, that according to Wahb ibn Munnabih, Sakinah is a spirit from God that speaks, and (in the case of the Israelites) where people disagreed on some issue, this spirit came with clarification in their matters, and used to be a cause of victory for them in wars. According to Ali ibn Abi Talib, " Sakinah is a sweet breeze/wind, whose face is like the face of a human", Mujahid mentions, "that when sakinah glanced at an enemy, they were defeated." and Ibn Atiyyah mentions about the Ark of covenant (at-Tabut) to which the Sakina was associated, that souls found therein peace, warmth, companionship and strength.
Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih from 'Bara, that a certain man (during the time of Muhammad), was reciting the Surah Kahf from the Quran, by his tied horse, and as he was reciting, a cloud engulfed him, which was encircling and descending, whose sight caused his horse to jump and move, and so when morning came he went to Muhammad and informed him of what occurred, to which Muhammad replied that was the Sakinah that descended for the Quran.
According to Sunni traditions, when Muhammad was persecuted in Makkah, and the time came for him to emigrate to Madinah, he took temporary refuge with his companion Abu Bakr in the cave of Thawr. Seeking to be hidden from the Makkans who were looking for him, it was at Thawr where God brought down His 'sakinah' over them, protecting them from their enemies. According to Sufism, it was at Thawr where Abu Bakr was blessed (through Muhammad) with divine secrets; whose transmission from him to the latter generations formed the Naqshbandi path of Sufism. It was this experience that the second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab mentioned that all the good Umar did cannot stand as an equivalent to Abu Bakr's sole virtue of companionship with Muhammad at the Thawr cave.
Muhammed's grandson Hussain bin Ali named one of his daughters Sakina who tragically perished in a Syrian prison during the imprisonment of Hussain's family members who survived the battle of Karbala, mostly women and children. She was the first person in the history of Islam to have been given the name Sakina. Presently it is a popular female name in most Islamic cultures. See Sakina
.
, the author argues that the term Shekhinah refers to a goddess by comparing and contrasting scriptural and medieval Jewish Kabbalistic source materials. Patai draws a historic distinction between the Shekhinah and the Matronit.
In the bestselling thriller The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany, the storyline refers to the Shekhinah as a goddess and one of the characters is even named Patai. In the appendix are essays by Rabbi Shefa Gold, Zvi Bellin, and Tania Schweig about the Shekhinah.
listed Shekhinah as an entry in his reference work A Dictionary of Angel, stating that she is the female incarnation of Metatron
.
, whom the original Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Church acknowledged as their teacher/prophet from 1978 to 1986, laid heavy emphasis on women's spirituality and the feminine aspect of God. She published a magazine, Shekinah, often rendered SHEkinah, in which she explored the concept that the Shekinah is the Holy Spirit
. Articles from Shekinah are reprinted online at the Branch Davidian website.
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling divine presence
Divine presence
Divine presence, presence of God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with the omnipotent ability of a god and/or gods to be "present" with human beings...
of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
.
Etymology
Shekinah is derived from the Hebrew verb שכן. In Biblical Hebrew the word means literally to settle, inhabit, or dwell, and is used frequently in the Hebrew BibleHebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
. (See Exodus 40:35, "Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, for the cloud rested [shakhan] upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle
Tabernacle
The Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
." See also e.g. Genesis 9:27, 14:13, Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
37:3, Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
33:16), as well as the weekly Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
blessing recited in the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
("May He who causes His name to dwell [shochan] in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship"). In Mishnaic Hebrew the noun is often used to refer to birds' nesting and nests. ("Every bird nests [shechinot] with its kind, and man with its like, Talmud Baba Kammah 92b.) and can also mean "neighbor" ("If a neighbor and a scholar, the scholar is preferred" Talmud Ketubot 85b).
The word for Tabernacle, mishcan, is a derivative of the same root and is used in the sense of dwelling-place in the Bible, e.g. Psalm
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
132:5 ("Before I find a place for God, mishcanot (dwelling-places) for the Strong One of Israel.") Accordingly, in classic Jewish thought
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, the Shekhinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense, a dwelling or settling of divine presence
Divine presence
Divine presence, presence of God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with the omnipotent ability of a god and/or gods to be "present" with human beings...
, to the effect that, while in proximity to the Shekhinah, the connection to God is more readily perceivable.
Some Christian theologians have connected the concept of Shekhinah to the Greek term "Parousia
Parousia
Parousia is an ancient Greek word meaning presence, arrival, or official visit.-Classical usage:# Physical presence, arrival – The main use is the physical presence of a person, which where that person is not already present refers to the prospect of the physical arrival of that person, especially...
", "presence" "arrival," which is used in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
in a similar way for "Divine Presence".
Meaning in Judaism
The Shekinah is held by some to represent the feminine attributesFemininity
Femininity is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with girls and women. Though socially constructed, femininity is made up of both socially defined and biologically created factors...
of the presence of God (shekhinah being a feminine word in Hebrew), based especially on readings of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
.
Where manifest
The Shekinah is referred to as manifest in the Tabernacle and the Temple in JerusalemTemple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
throughout Rabbinic literature. It is also reported as being present in the acts of public prayer, ("Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shekhinah rests" Talmud Sanhedrin 39a); righteous judgment ("when three sit as judges, the Shekhinah is with them." Talmud Berachot 6a), and personal need ("The Shekhinah dwells over the headside of the sick man's bed" Talmud Shabbat 12b; "Wheresoever they were exiled, the Shekhinah went with them." Megillah 29a).
In the absence of the Temple
The TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
expounds a Beraita (oral tradition) which illuminates the manner in which the Kohen Gadol
Kohen Gadol
The High Priest was the chief religious official of Israelite religion and of classical Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem...
(High Priest) is to sprinkle the blood of the bull-offering towards the Parochet
Parochet
Parochet is the curtain on the front of the Aron Kodesh in a synagogue that covers the Sifrei Torah...
(Curtain) separating the Hekhal
Hekhal
The Hebrew noun hekhal in Classical Hebrew means a large building. This can be either the main building of the Temple in Jerusalem, that is the nave or sanctuary of the Temple, or a palace, such as the "palace" of Ahab king of Samaria, or the "palace" of the King of Babylon.-Usage:It is used 80...
(sanctuary) from the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies
Holy of Holies
The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the First Temple, which could be entered only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur...
):
- "[And so shall he do in the midst of the Tent of Meeting] that dwells (shokhen) among them in the midst of their impurities (LeviticusLeviticusThe Book of Leviticus is the third book of the Hebrew Bible, and the third of five books of the Torah ....
16:16). Even at a time when the Jews are impure, the Shekinah (Divine Presence) is with them. - A certain Sadducee said to Rabbi Chanina: Now [that you have been exiled], you are certainly impure, as it is written: "Her impurity is [visible] on her hems." (LamentationsBook of LamentationsThe Book of Lamentations ) is a poetic book of the Hebrew Bible composed by the Jewish prophet Jeremiah. It mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple in the 6th Century BCE....
1:9). He [Rabbi Chanina] said to him: Come see what is written regarding them: [The Tent of Meeting] that dwells among them in the midst of their impurities. Even in a time that they are impure, the Divine Presence is among them. TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
Tractate YomaYomaYoma is the fifth tractate of Seder Moed of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It is concerned mainly with the laws of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, on which Jews atone for their sins from the previous year...
56b
Forms of manifestation in Jewish sources
The TalmudTalmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
reports that the Shekinah is what caused prophets to prophesy and King David to compose his Psalms. The Shekinah manifests itself as a form of joy, connected with prophecy and creativity: Talmud Pesachim 117a) The Talmud also reports that "The Shekinah does not rest amidst laziness, nor amidst laughter, nor amidst lightheadedness, nor amidst idle conversation. Rather, it is amidst the joy associated with a mitzvah
Mitzvah
The primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...
that the Shekinah comes to rest upon people, as it is said: 'And now, bring me for a musician, and it happened that when the music played, God's hand rested upon him' [Elisha] [2 Kings 3:15]" (Pesachim 117a). Thus the Shekinah is associated with the transformational spirit of God regarded as the source of prophecy:
- After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines; and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying.
- And the spirit of the LORD will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. (1 SamuelBooks of SamuelThe Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
10:5-6 JPS).
The prophets made numerous references to metaphorical visions of the presence of God, particularly in the context of the Tabernacle or Temple
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
, with figures such as thrones or robes filling the Sanctuary, which have traditionally been attributed to the presence of the Shekhinah. Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
wrote "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and his train filled the Temple." (Isaiah 6:1). Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
implored "Do not dishonor the throne of your glory" (Jeremiah 14:21) and referred to "Thou throne of glory, on high from the beginning, Thou place of our sanctuary" (Jeremiah 17:12). Ezekiel
Ezekiel
Ezekiel , "God will strengthen" , is the central protagonist of the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible. In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Ezekiel is acknowledged as a Hebrew prophet...
spoke of "the glory of the God of Israel was there [in the Sanctuary], according to the vision that I saw in the plain."
Meaning in Hassidic Judaism
Hassidic Judaism regards the KabbalahKabbalah
Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
, in which the Shekinah has special significance, as having scriptural authority. The word 'Matronit' is also employed to represent this usage.
The Shekinah as the Sabbath Bride
This recurrent theme is best known from the writings and songs of the legendary mystic of the 16th century, Rabbi Isaac LuriaIsaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
. Here is a quotation from the beginning of his famous shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
hymn:
- "I sing in hymns
- to enter the gates
- of the Field
- of holy apples.
- "A new table
- we prepare for Her,
- a lovely candelabrum
- sheds its light upon us.
- "Between right and left
- the Bride approaches,
- in holy jewels
- and festive garments..."
A paragraph in the Zohar
Zohar
The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material on Mysticism, mythical cosmogony, and mystical psychology...
starts: "One must prepare a comfortable seat with several cushions and embroidered covers, from all that is found in the house, like one who prepares a canopy for a bride. For the Shabbat is a queen and a bride. This is why the masters of the Mishna used to go out on the eve of Shabbat to receive her on the road, and used to say: Come, O bride, come, O bride!' And one must sing and rejoice at the table in her honor ... one must receive the Lady with many lighted candles, many enjoyments, beautiful clothes, and a house embellished with many fine appointments ..."
The tradition of the Shekinah as the Shabbat Bride, the Shabbat Hamalka, continues to this day.
In Jewish prayers
The 17th blessing of the daily AmidahAmidah
The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
prayer said in Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
, Conservative
Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
, and Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
services is "Blessed are You, God, who returns His Presence (shekhinato) to Zion."
The Liberal Jewish prayer-book for Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
and Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...
(Machzor Ruach Chadashah) contains a creative prayer based on Avinu Malkeinu
Avinu Malkeinu
Avinu Malkeinu or Abhiynu Malkenu is a Jewish prayer recited during Jewish services on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, on the Ten Days of Repentance from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur...
, in which the feminine noun Shekhinah is used in the interests of gender neutrality.
In Yiddish song
The concept of Shekinah is also associated with Holy Spirit in Jewish tradition, such as in Yiddish song: Vel ich, sh'chine tsu dir kummen "Will I, shekinah, to you come".The Shekhinah in Christianity
In addition to the various accounts indicating the presence or glory of God recorded in the Hebrew BibleHebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, many Christians also consider the Shekhinah to be manifest in numerous instances in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
.
The public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, published in 1897, says,
- Shechinah – a Chaldee word meaning resting-place, not found in Scripture, but used by the later Jews to designate the visible symbol of God's presence in the Tabernacle, and afterwards in Solomon's templeSolomon's TempleSolomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
. When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt, he went before them "in a pillar of a cloudPillar of Fire (theophany)A Pillar of Fire was one of the manifestations of the presence of the God of Israel in the Torah. According to Exodus, the pillar of fire provided light so that Jews could travel by night during the Exodus from Egypt . The pillar of fire is traditionally paired with the manifestation of the divine...
." This was the symbol of his presence with his people. God also spoke to Moses through the 'shekhinah' out of a burning bushBurning bushThe burning bush is an object described by the Book of Exodus as being located on Mount Sinai; according to the narrative, the bush was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames, hence the name...
. For references made to it during the wilderness wanderings, see Exodus 14:20; 40:34-38; Leviticus 9:23, 24; Numbers 14:10; 16:19, 42.
- It is probable that after the entrance into Canaan this glory-cloud settled in the tabernacle upon the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. We have, however, no special reference to it till the consecration of the temple by SolomonSolomonSolomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
, when it filled the whole house with its glory, so that the priests could not stand to minister (1 Kings 8:10-13; 2 Chr. 5:13, 14; 7:1-3). Probably it remained in the first temple in the holy of holiesHoly of HoliesThe Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the First Temple, which could be entered only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur...
as the symbol of Jehovah’s presence so long as that temple stood. It afterwards disappeared.http://www.ccel.org/e/easton/ebd/ebd/T0003300.html#T0003331
References to the Shekhinah in Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
often see the presence and the glory of the Lord as being synonymous, as illustrated in the following verse from Exodus;
- And Moses went up into the mount, and the cloud covered the mount. And the glory of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the appearance of the glory of Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. (Exodus 24:15-17 ASV)
The Spirit of the Lord
The Shekinah in the New Testament is commonly equated to the presence or indwelling of the Spirit of the Lord (generally referred to as the Holy SpiritHoly Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, or Spirit of Christ) in the believer, drawing parallels to the presence of God in Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount , before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE....
. In contradistinction with the Old Testament where the Holy of Holies signified the presence of God, from the New Testament onwards, it is the Holy Spirit that reminds us of God's abiding presence. Furthermore, in the same manner that the Shekhinah is linked to prophecy in Judaism, so it is in Christianity:
- For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21 ASV)
The Glory of the Lord
Where references are made to the Shekinah as manifestations of the glory of the Lord associated with his presence, Christians find numerous occurrences in the New Testament in both literal (as in LukeGospel of Luke
The Gospel According to Luke , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Luke or simply Luke, is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels. This synoptic gospel is an account of the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. It details his story from the events of his birth to his Ascension.The...
2:9 which refers to the "glory of the Lord" shining on the shepherds at Jesus' birth) as well as spiritual forms (as in John
Gospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
17:22, where Jesus speaks to God of giving the "glory" that God gave to him to the people). A contrast can be found in Ichabod
Ichabod
Ichabod is named by the Books of Samuel as the brother of Ahitub. Ichabod is also identified by the Books of Samuel as having been the son of Phinehas, and as having been born on the day that the Ark was taken into Philistine captivity. His mother went into labour due to the shock of hearing that...
, so named as a result of the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant , also known as the Ark of the Testimony, is a chest described in Book of Exodus as solely containing the Tablets of Stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed...
being captured by the Philistines
Philistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
: "The glory is departed from Israel" (1 Samuel 4:22 KJV).
The Divine Presence
By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
(Exodus 13:21)
The Shekinah in Islam
The word سكينة (Sakinah) is mentioned six times in Quran. It stands for peace, reassurance, calmness, and tranquillity. Chapter 2, verse 248 says: "And their messenger said to them: Verily! The sign of his kingdom is that there shall come to you At-Tabut (the lost arc), wherein is Sakinah from your Lord and a remnant of that which Moses and Aaron left behind, carried by the angels. Verily, in this is a sign for you if you are indeed believers." It is often described as "reassuring feeling of being in the presence (or under the protection) of God."Imam al-Qurtubi mentions in his famous exegesis, in explanation of the mentioned verse, that according to Wahb ibn Munnabih, Sakinah is a spirit from God that speaks, and (in the case of the Israelites) where people disagreed on some issue, this spirit came with clarification in their matters, and used to be a cause of victory for them in wars. According to Ali ibn Abi Talib, " Sakinah is a sweet breeze/wind, whose face is like the face of a human", Mujahid mentions, "that when sakinah glanced at an enemy, they were defeated." and Ibn Atiyyah mentions about the Ark of covenant (at-Tabut) to which the Sakina was associated, that souls found therein peace, warmth, companionship and strength.
Imam Muslim narrates in his Sahih from 'Bara, that a certain man (during the time of Muhammad), was reciting the Surah Kahf from the Quran, by his tied horse, and as he was reciting, a cloud engulfed him, which was encircling and descending, whose sight caused his horse to jump and move, and so when morning came he went to Muhammad and informed him of what occurred, to which Muhammad replied that was the Sakinah that descended for the Quran.
According to Sunni traditions, when Muhammad was persecuted in Makkah, and the time came for him to emigrate to Madinah, he took temporary refuge with his companion Abu Bakr in the cave of Thawr. Seeking to be hidden from the Makkans who were looking for him, it was at Thawr where God brought down His 'sakinah' over them, protecting them from their enemies. According to Sufism, it was at Thawr where Abu Bakr was blessed (through Muhammad) with divine secrets; whose transmission from him to the latter generations formed the Naqshbandi path of Sufism. It was this experience that the second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab mentioned that all the good Umar did cannot stand as an equivalent to Abu Bakr's sole virtue of companionship with Muhammad at the Thawr cave.
Muhammed's grandson Hussain bin Ali named one of his daughters Sakina who tragically perished in a Syrian prison during the imprisonment of Hussain's family members who survived the battle of Karbala, mostly women and children. She was the first person in the history of Islam to have been given the name Sakina. Presently it is a popular female name in most Islamic cultures. See Sakina
Sakina
Sakina is a word derived from "sukun" meaning "peace", "serenity" or "tranquility". It appears in the Qur'an.-Usage in the Qur'an:Sukaina is the Spirit of Tranquility, or Peace of Reassurance it's also a shortened form of the original word "Sakinah" which is mentioned in the Quran as having...
.
Raphael Patai
In the work by anthropologist Raphael Patai entitled The Hebrew GoddessThe Hebrew Goddess
The Hebrew Goddess is a 1967 book by Jewish historian and anthropologist Raphael Patai. In this book, Patai argues that the Jewish religion historically had elements of polytheism, especially the worship of goddesses and a cult of the mother goddess...
, the author argues that the term Shekhinah refers to a goddess by comparing and contrasting scriptural and medieval Jewish Kabbalistic source materials. Patai draws a historic distinction between the Shekhinah and the Matronit.
In the bestselling thriller The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany, the storyline refers to the Shekhinah as a goddess and one of the characters is even named Patai. In the appendix are essays by Rabbi Shefa Gold, Zvi Bellin, and Tania Schweig about the Shekhinah.
Comparative Religion
- The Qur'anQur'anThe Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
mentions the SakinaSakinaSakina is a word derived from "sukun" meaning "peace", "serenity" or "tranquility". It appears in the Qur'an.-Usage in the Qur'an:Sukaina is the Spirit of Tranquility, or Peace of Reassurance it's also a shortened form of the original word "Sakinah" which is mentioned in the Quran as having...
, or Tranquility, referring to God's blessing of solace and succour upon both the Children of Israel and MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. Interestingly, Sakina, or Sakina bint Husayn, was also the name of the youngest female child of Husayn ibn AliHusayn ibn AliHussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
, ostensibly the first girl in recorded history to be given the name. - "Shekhinah", often in plural, is also present in some gnostic writings written in Aramaic, such as the writings of the Manichaeans and the Mandaeans, as well as others. In these writings, shekhinas are described as hidden aspects of God, somewhat resembling the AmahrāspandanAmesha Spenta' is an Avestan language term for a class of divine entities in Zoroastrianism, and literally means "Bounteous Immortal" The noun is amesha "immortal", and spenta "furthering, strengthening, bounteous, holy" is an adjective of it...
of the Zoroastrians.
Gustav Davidson
American poet Gustav DavidsonGustav Davidson
Gustav Davidson was a poet, writer, and publisher.Davidson attended Columbia University in New York City and worked for the Library of Congress.-Works:...
listed Shekhinah as an entry in his reference work A Dictionary of Angel, stating that she is the female incarnation of Metatron
Metatron
Metatron or Mattatron is the name of an angel in Judaism and some branches of Christian mythology. There are no references to him in the Jewish Tanakh or Christian Scriptures...
.
Branch Davidians
Lois RodenLois Roden
Lois Irene Scott Roden was a president of the Branch Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Church, an apocalyptic Christian sect which her husband, Benjamin Roden founded. The sect began in Texas in 1955 as a succession to the Shepherd's Rod movement led by Victor T...
, whom the original Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Church acknowledged as their teacher/prophet from 1978 to 1986, laid heavy emphasis on women's spirituality and the feminine aspect of God. She published a magazine, Shekinah, often rendered SHEkinah, in which she explored the concept that the Shekinah is the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
. Articles from Shekinah are reprinted online at the Branch Davidian website.
David Rankine & Sorita D'Este
In their book, The Cosmis Shekhinah, David Rankine and Sorita D'Este explore the Wisdom Goddess of the Bible; as well as the Kabbalah, her precedents in the history and practices of earlier cultures and later developments.See also
- Ruach HaKodeshRuach HaKodeshThe Hebrew language phrase ruach ha-kodesh is a term used in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish writings to refer to the Spirit of YHVH. The Hebrew term ruakh kodeshka , without the definite article, also occurs...
- numenNumenNumen is a Latin term for a potential, guiding the course of events in a particular place or in the whole world, used in Roman philosophical and religious thought...
- TheophanyTheophanyTheophany, from the Ancient Greek , meaning "appearance of God"), refers to the appearance of a deity to a human or other being, or to a divine disclosure....
- ElohimElohimElohim is a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. When used with singular verbs and adjectives elohim is usually singular, "god" or especially, the God. When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or...
- KabbalahKabbalahKabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...
- Temple in JerusalemTemple in JerusalemThe Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
- YahwehYahwehYahweh is the name of God in the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jews and Christians.The word Yahweh is a modern scholarly convention for the Hebrew , transcribed into Roman letters as YHWH and known as the Tetragrammaton, for which the original pronunciation is unknown...
- ShaktiShaktiShakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
External links
- The Shekhinah in Judaism
- The Hebrew Goddess, Raphael Patai (Wayne State University Press)
- Hymn to the Sabbath by Rabbi Isaac Luria, the 16th century Kabbalist
- Extensive collection of studies on the feminine aspect of the Shekinah/Holy Spirit as it relates to men and women both being created in the image and likeness of the Godhead, and Christ being the literally begotten Son of God
- The Autiot of the Shekinah by Carlo SuaresCarlo SuarèsCarlo Giuseppe Suarès was a French writer, painter and Kabbalah author. He was born the 12 May 1892 in Alexandria, Egypt. The ancestors of his Sepharad Jewish family had been expelled from Spain in 1492 and found refuge in Italy before immigrating to Egypt...
- Shekinah Retreat Centre. A Mennonite bible camp, in Saskatchewan, Canada, that is named after the word Shekinah.