Shekhinah-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shekhinah
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Christian artistic depiction: "The Shekinah Glory Enters the Tabernacle"; illustration from The Bible
and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons; Charles F !orne and "ulius # $e%er &Ed',
()*+
Shekinah, Shechinah, Shechina, or Schechinah&!ebre%: ,-./0', is the En1lish
spellin1 of a1rammatically feminine !ebre% name of God in "udaism
2citation needed3
The ori1inal
%ord means thedwelling or settling, and denotes the d%ellin1 or settlin1 of the 4i5ine
6resence of God, especially in the Temple in "erusalem
Contents
2hide3
( Etymolo1y
7 8eanin1 in "udaism
o 7( 8anifestation
7(( #bsence of the Temple
9 "e%ish sources
o 9( !ebre% $ible
o 97 Tar1ums
: Talmud
o :( 8eanin1 in !assidic "udaism
o :7 Sabbath $ride
o :9 "e%ish prayers
o :: ;iddish son1
< Christianity
o <( =ord
<(( Spirit
<(7 Glory
o <7 4i5ine 6resence
> ?slam
@ Contemporary scholarship
o @( Aaphael 6atai
o @7 Comparati5e reli1ion
o @9 Gusta5 4a5idson
o @: $ranch 4a5idians
+ See also
) Aeferences
(* EBternal links
Etymology2edit3
Shekinah is deri5ed from the !ebre% 5erb C/0 ?n $iblical !ebre% that Semitic root means
literally to settle, inhabit, or dwell,and is used freDuently in the !ebre% $ible ?n 8ishnaic
!ebre% the noun is often used to refer to birdsE nestin1 and nests &"E5ery bird nests
2shekinot3 %ith its kind, and man %ith its like, Talmud $aba Fammah )7b' and can also
mean "nei1hbor" &"?f a nei1hbor and a scholar, the scholar is preferred" Talmud Fetubot
+<b'
The %ord for Tabernacle, mishkan, is a deri5ati5e of the same root and is used in the sense
of d%ellin1Gplace in the $ible, e1 6salm (97:< &"$efore ? find a place for
God, mishkanot &d%ellin1Gplaces' for the Stron1 Hne of ?srael"' and Iumbers7::< &";our
d%ellin1 places, ?srael," %here the %ord for "your d%ellin1 places", transliterated, is
mishkenotecha' #ccordin1ly, in classic "e%ish thou1ht, the Shekinah refers to a d%ellin1 or
settlin1 in a special sense, a d%ellin1 or settlin1 of 4i5ine 6resence, to the effect that, %hile
in proBimity to the Shekinah, the connection to God is more readily percei5able
Some Christian theolo1ians ha5e connected the concept of Shekinah to the Greek term
"6arousia", "presence" or "arri5al," %hich is used in the Ie% Testament in a similar %ay for
"4i5ine 6resence"
2(3
Meaning in Judaism2edit3
The Shekinah is held by some to represent the feminine attributes of the presence of God
&Shekinah bein1 a feminine %ord in !ebre%', based especially on readin1s of the Talmud
273
Manifestation2edit3
The Shekinah is referred to as manifest in the Tabernacle and the Temple in
"erusalem throu1hout Aabbinic literature ?t is also reported as bein1 present in the acts of
public prayer, &"Whene5er ten are 1athered for prayer, there the Shekinah rests" Talmud
Sanhedrin 9)a'; ri1hteous Jud1ment &"%hen three sit as Jud1es, the Shekinah is %ith them"
Talmud $erachot>a', and personal need &"The Shekinah d%ells o5er the headside of the
sick manEs bed" Talmud tractate Shabbat (7b; "Wheresoe5er they %ere eBiled, the
Shekinah %ent %ith them" 8e1illah 7)a'
Absence of the Temple2edit3
The Talmud eBpounds a $eraita &oral tradition' %hich illuminates the manner in %hich
the Fohen Gadol &!i1h 6riest' is to sprinkle the blood of the bullGofferin1 to%ards
the 6arochet &Curtain' separatin1 the !ekhal &sanctuary' from the Fodesh
!akodashim &!oly of !olies':
2#nd so shall he do in the midst of the Tent of 8eetin13 that d%ells & shokhen' amon1 them
in the midst of theirimpurities &=e5iticus (>:(>' E5en at a time %hen the "e%s are impure,
the Shekinah &4i5ine 6resence' is %ith them
# certain Sadducee said to Aabbi Chanina: Io% 2that you ha5e been
eBiled3, you are certainly impure, as it is %ritten: "!er impurity is 25isible3 on
her hems" &=amentations (:)' !e 2Aabbi Chanina3 said to him: Come see
%hat is %ritten re1ardin1 them: 2The Tent of 8eetin13 that d%ells amon1
them in the midst of their impurities E5en in a time that they are impure, the
4i5ine 6resence is amon1 them
KTalmud Tractate Yoma <>b
Jewish sources2edit3
Hebrew Bible2edit3
The noun shekina does not occur in the !ebre% $ible, althou1h the 5erb shakan, and
other terms from the root Lkn do occur There is also no occurrence of the noun in preG
rabbinic literature such as the 4ead Sea Scrolls ?t is only after%ards in the tar1ums
and rabbinical literature that the !ebre% term shekinah, or #ramaic
eDui5alent shekinta, is found, and then becomes eBtremely common
293
8cIamara
&7*(*' considers that the absence mi1ht lead to the conclusion that the term only
ori1inated after the destruction of the temple in @*#4, but notes 7 8accabees (::9< "a
temple for your habitation", %here the Greek teBt &naon tes skenoseos' su11ests a
possible parallel understandin1, and %here the Greek noun skenosis may stand for
#ramaic shekinta
2:3
Targums2edit3
?n the Tar1ums the addition of the noun term Shekinah paraphases !ebre% 5erb
phrases such as EBodus 9::) "let the =ord 1o amon1 us" &a 5erbal eBpression of
presence' %hich Tar1um paraphrases %ith GodEs "shekinah" &a noun form'
2<3
?n the
postGtemple era usa1e of use of the term Shekinah may pro5ide a solution to the
problem of God bein1 omnipresent and thus not d%ellin1 in any one place
2>3
Talmud2edit3
The Talmud also says that the Shekhinah rests on man neither throu1h 1loom, nor
throu1h sloth, nor throu1h fri5olity, nor throu1h le5ity, nor throu1h talk, nor throu1h idle
chatter, but only throu1h a matter of Joy in connection %ith a precept, as it is said, $ut
no% brin1 me a minstrel #nd it came to pass, %hen the minstrel played, that the hand
of the =ord came upon him 27Fin1s 9:(<3 2Shabbat 9*b3
The Shekinah is associated %ith the transformational spirit of God re1arded as the
source of prophecy:
#fter that thou shalt come to the hill of God, %here is the 1arrison of the
6hilistines; and it shall come to pass, %hen thou art come thither to the city, that
thou shalt meet a band of prophets comin1 do%n from the hi1h place %ith a
psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they %ill be
prophesyin1 #nd the spirit of the =HA4 %ill come mi1htily upon thee, and thou
shalt prophesy %ith them, and shalt be turned into another man
K( Samuel (*:<M>
The prophets made numerous references to 5isions of the presence of God,
particularly in the conteBt of the Tabernacle orTemple, %ith fi1ures such as thrones or
robes fillin1 the Sanctuary, %hich ha5e traditionally been attributed to the presence of
the Shekinah ?saiah %rote "? sa% the =ord sittin1 upon a throne hi1h and lifted up, and
his train filled the Temple" &?saiah >:(' "eremiah implored "4o not dishonor the throne
of your 1lory" &"eremiah (::7(' and referred to "Thy throne of 1lory, on hi1h from the
be1innin1, Thy place of our sanctuary" &"eremiah (@:(7' The $ook of ENekiel speaks
of "the 1lory of the God of ?srael %as there 2in the Sanctuary3, accordin1 to the 5ision
that ? sa% in the plain" &ENekiel +::'
Meaning in Hassidic Judaism2edit3
!assidic "udaism re1ards the Fabbalah, in %hich the Shekinah has special
si1nificance, as ha5in1 scriptural authority
2citation needed3
The %ord Matronit is also
employed to represent this usa1e
2citation needed3
Sabbath Bride2edit3
This recurrent theme is best kno%n from the %ritin1s and son1s of the le1endary mystic
of the (>th century, Aabbi ?saac =uria !ere is a Duotation from the be1innin1 of his
famous shabbat hymn:
"? sin1 in hymns
to enter the 1ates
of the Field
of holy apples
"# ne% table
%e prepare for !er,
a lo5ely candelabrum
sheds its li1ht upon us
"$et%een ri1ht and left
the $ride approaches,
in holy Je%els
and festi5e 1arments"
# para1raph in the Oohar starts: "Hne must prepare a comfortable seat %ith se5eral
cushions and embroidered co5ers, from all that is found in the house, like one %ho
prepares a canopy for a bride For the Shabbat is a Dueen and a bride This is %hy the
masters of the 8ishna used to 1o out on the e5e of Shabbat to recei5e her on the road, and
used to say: ECome, O bride, come, O bridePE #nd one must sin1 and reJoice at the table in
her honor one must recei5e the =ady %ith many li1hted candles, many enJoyments,
beautiful clothes, and a house embellished %ith many fine appointments "
The tradition of the Shekinah as the Shabbat $ride, the Shabbat allah, continues to this
day
Jewish prayers2edit3
The (@th blessin1 of the daily #midah prayer said in HrthodoB, Conser5ati5e,
and Aeform ser5ices is "$lessed are ;ou, God, %ho returns !is 6resence &shekinato' to
Oion"
The =iberal "e%ish prayerGbook for Aosh !ashanah and ;om Fippur &Mach!or "uach
Chadashah' contains a creati5e prayer based on #5inu 8alkeinu, in %hich the feminine
noun Shekinah is used in the interests of 1ender neutrality
2@3
Yiddish song2edit3
The concept of Shekinah is also associated %ith !oly Spirit in "e%ish tradition, such as in
;iddish son1: #el ich, sh$chine tsu dir kummen "Will ?, Shekinah, to you come"
2+3
Christianity2edit3
?n addition to the 5arious accounts indicatin1 the presence or 1lory of God recorded in
the !ebre% $ible, many Christians also consider the Shekinah to be manifest in numerous
instances in the Ie% Testament
The public domain %aston$s Bible &ictionary, published in (+)@, says,
Shekinah M a Chaldee %ord meanin1 restin1Gplace, not found in Scripture, but used by the
later "e%s to desi1nate the 5isible symbol of GodEs presence in the Tabernacle, and
after%ards in SolomonEs temple When the =ord led ?srael out of E1ypt, he %ent before
them "in a pillar of a cloud" This %as the symbol of his presence %ith his people God also
spoke to 8oses throu1h the EShekinahE out of a burnin1 bush For references made to it
durin1 the %ilderness %anderin1s, see EBodus (::7*; :*:9:G9+; =e5iticus ):79, 7:;
Iumbers (::(*; (>:(), :7 ?t is probable that after the entrance into Canaan this 1loryG
cloud settled in the tabernacle upon the ark of the co5enant in the most holy place We
ha5e, ho%e5er, no special reference to it till the consecration of the temple by Solomon,
%hen it filled the %hole house %ith its 1lory, so that the priests could not stand to minister &(
Fin1s +:(*M(9; 7 Chr <:(9, (:; @:(M9' 6robably it remained in the first temple in theholy of
holies as the symbol of "eho5ahQs presence so lon1 as that temple stood ?t after%ards
disappeared
K2(3
Aeferences to the Shekinah in Christianity often see the presence and the 1lory of the =ord
as bein1 synonymous,
2)3
as illustrated in the follo%in1 5erse from EBodus;
#nd 8oses %ent up into the mount, and the cloud co5ered the mount #nd the 1lory of
"eho5ah abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud co5ered it siB days: and the se5enth day
he called unto 8oses out of the midst of the cloud #nd the appearance of the 1lory of
"eho5ah %as like de5ourin1 fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of ?srael
KEBodus 7::(<M(@ #SR
ord2edit3
Spirit2edit3
The Shekinah in the Ie% Testament is commonly eDuated to the presence or ind%ellin1 of
the Spirit of the =ord &1enerally referred to as the !oly Spirit, or Spirit of Christ' in the
belie5er, dra%in1 parallels to the presence of God in SolomonEs Temple ?n contradistinction
%ith the Hld Testament %here the !oly of !olies si1nified the presence of God, from the
Ie% Testament on%ards, it is the !oly Spirit that reminds us of GodEs abidin1 presence
Furthermore, in the same manner that the Shekhinah is linked to prophecy in "udaism, so it
is in Christianity:
For no prophecy e5er came by the %ill of man: but men spake from God, bein1 mo5ed by
the !oly Spirit
K7 6eter (:7( #SR
!lory2edit3
Where references are made to the Shekinah as manifestations of the 1lory of the =ord
associated %ith his presence, Christians find numerous occurrences in the Ie% Testament
in both literal &as in =uke 7:) %hich refers to the "1lory of the =ord" shinin1 on the
shepherds at "esusE birth'
2(*3
as %ell as spiritual forms &as in "ohn (@:77, %here "esus
speaks to God of 1i5in1 the "1lory" that God 1a5e to him to the people'
2((3
# contrast can be
found in the $ook of Samuel %here it is said that?chabod, meanin1 "in1lorious," %as 1i5en
his name because he %as born on the day the #rk of the Co5enant %as captured by
the 6hilistines: "The 1lory is departed from ?srael" &( Samuel ::77 F"R'
"i#ine $resence2edit3
$y day the =HA4 %ent ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to 1uide them on their %ay and by
ni1ht in a pillar of fire to 1i5e them li1ht, so that they could tra5el by day or ni1ht
KEBodus (9:7(
Islam2edit3
#rabic: STUVW sak'nah is mentioned siB times in the Xuran, in chapters 7, ) and :+
2(73
Their prophet said to them: "The si1n of his kin1ship is that the #rk %ill come to you in
%hich there is tran(uilityfrom your =ord and a relic from the family of 8oses and the family
of #aron, borne by the an1els
#lGXurtubi mentions in his famous eBe1esis, in eBplanation of the abo5eGmentioned 5erse,
that accordin1 to Wahb ibn 8unabbih, Sakinah is a spirit from God that speaks, and, in the
case of the ?sraelites, %here people disa1reed on some issue, this spirit came to clarify the
situation, and used to be a cause of 5ictory for them in %ars #ccordin1 to #li, "Sakinah is a
s%eet breeNeY%ind, %hose face is like the face of a human" 8uJahid mentions that "%hen
Sakinah 1lanced at an enemy, they %ere defeated", and ibn #tiyyah mentions about the #rk
of the Co5enant &atGTabut', to %hich the Sakina %as associated, that souls found therein
peace, %armth, companionship and stren1th
8uslim ibn alG!aJJaJ Iishapuri says in his Sahih alG$ukhari, that a certain man &durin1 the
time of 8uhammad', %as recitin1 the sura alGFahf from the Xuran by his tethered horse,
and as he %as recitin1, a cloud en1ulfed him, %hich %as encirclin1 and descendin1, %hose
si1ht caused his horse to Jump and mo5e, and so %hen mornin1 came he %ent to
8uhammad and informed him of %hat occurred, to %hich 8uhammad replied that it %as the
Sakinah that descended for the Xuran
#ccordin1 to Sunni traditions, %hen 8uhammad %as persecuted in 8ecca and the time
came for him to emi1rate to 8adinah &8edina', he took temporary refu1e %ith his
companion #bu $akr in the ca5e of Tha%r Seekin1 to be hidden from the 8akkans %ho
%ere lookin1 for him, it %as at Tha%r %here God brou1ht do%n !is sakina o5er them,
protectin1 them from their enemies #ccordin1 to Sufism, it %as at Tha%r that #bu
$akr %as blessed %ith di5ine secrets %hose transmission from him to the latter 1enerations
formed the IaDshbandi path of Sufism ?t %as this eBperience that led the
second Caliph Zmarto say that all the 1ood Zmar did cannot stand as an eDui5alent to #bu
$akrEs sole 5irtue of companionship %ith 8uhammad at the Tha%r ca5e
8uhammedEs 1randson !ussein ibn #li named one of his dau1hters Sakina She tra1ically
perished in a Syrian prison durin1 the imprisonment of !usseinEs family members, mostly
%omen and children, %ho sur5i5ed the $attle of Farbala She %as the first person in the
history of ?slam to ha5e been 1i5en the name Sakinah ?t is currently a popular female
name in most ?slamic cultures
Contemporary scholarship2edit3
%aphael $atai2edit3
Main articles) "a*hael Patai and The +ebrew ,oddess
?n the %ork by anthropolo1ist Aaphael 6atai entitled The +ebrew ,oddess, the author
ar1ues that the term Shekhinah refers to a 1oddess by comparin1 and contrastin1
scriptural and medie5al "e%ish Fabbalistic source materials 6atai dra%s a historic
distinction bet%een the Shekhinah and the 8atronit
?n the bestsellin1 thriller The Torah Codes by ENra $arany, the storyline refers to the
Shekhinah as a 1oddess and one of the characters is e5en named 6atai ?n the appendiB
are essays by Aabbi Shefa Gold, O5i $ellin, and Tania Sch%ei1 about the Shekhinah
2(93
Comparati#e religion2edit3

The XurEan mentions the Sakina, or TranDuility, referrin1 to GodEs blessin1 of solace
and succour upon both the Children of ?srael and 8uhammad ?nterestin1ly, Sakina,
or Sakina bint !usayn, %as also the name of the youn1est female child of !usayn ibn #li,
ostensibly the first 1irl in recorded history to be 1i5en the name

"Shekhinah", often in plural, is also present in some 1nostic %ritin1s %ritten

in #ramaic, such as the %ritin1s of the8anichaeans and the 8andaeans, as %ell as others
?n these %ritin1s, shekhinas are described as hidden aspects of God, some%hat
resemblin1 the -mahr.s*andan of the Ooroastrians
2(:3
!usta# "a#idson2edit3
#merican poet Gusta5 4a5idson listed Shekhinah as an entry in his reference %ork -
&ictionary o/ -ngel, statin1 that she is the female incarnation of 8etatron
Branch "a#idians2edit3
=ois Aoden, %hom the ori1inal $ranch 4a5idian Se5enthG4ay #d5entist
Church ackno%led1ed as their teacherYprophet from ()@+ to ()+>, laid hea5y emphasis on
%omenEs spirituality and the feminine aspect of God She published a ma1aNine, Shekinah,
often rendered S+%kinah, in %hich she eBplored the concept that the Shekinah is the !oly
Spirit #rticles fromShekinah are reprinted online at the $ranch 4a5idian %ebsite
2(<3
See also2edit3
Elohim
Iumen
6riestly $lessin1
Auach !aFodesh
Shakti
Theophany
;ah%eh
e!erences2edit3
( Jump up & Ieal 4eAoo, "ohn 6anteleimon 8anoussakis, Phenomenology and
%schatology) 0ot Yet in the 0ow By, #sh1ate, 7**), p7@
7 Jump up & Eisenber1, Aonald = The "6S Guide to "e%ish Traditions The
"e%ish 6ublication Society, 7**: ?S$I *G+7@>G*@>*G(
9 Jump up & 8artin 8cIamara Targum and Testament "e1isited) -ramaic
Para*hrases o/ the +ebrew Bible *+*7+>7@<> 7*(* p(:+ "Whereas the 5erb shakan and
terms from the root Lkn occur in the !ebre% Scriptures, and %hile the term shekinahYshekinta is
eBtremely common in rabbinic literature and the tar1ums, no occurrence of it is attested in preG
rabbinic literature"
: Jump up & 8cIamara &7*(*' p(:+
< Jump up & 6aul R8 Flesher, $ruce 4 Chilton The Targums) - Critical
Introduction )**:7(@>)[ 7*(( G 6a1e :< "The first comprises the use of the term \Shekinah]
&' %hich is usually used to speak of GodEs presence in ?sraelEs %orship The !ebre% teBt of
EBodus 9::), for instance, has 8oses pray, \let the =ord 1o amon1 us] %hich Tar1um "
> Jump up & Carol # 4ray Studies on Translation and Inter*retation in the
Targum to 222 )**:(:>)+) 7**> G 6a1e (<9 "The use of the term Shekinah, as has been noted
pre5iously,>( appears to pro5ide a solution to the problem of God bein1 omnipresent and thus
unable to d%ell in any one place This is not the only occasion in T" Fin1s %hen the
Tar1umist "
@ Jump up & Aabbis 4rs #ndre% Goldstein ^ Charles ! 8iddlebur1h, ed &7**9'
8achNor Auach Chadashah &in En1lish and !ebre%'=iberal "udaism p (9@
+ Jump up & Auth Aubin #oices o/ a *eo*le) the story o/ Yiddish /olksong p79:
) Jump up & Oechariah and "e%ish Aene%al Fred 6 8iller
(* Jump up & #cclamations of the $irth of Christ, by " !ampton Feathley, ???,
Th8 at bibleor1 &retrie5ed (9 #u1ust 7**>
(( Jump up & The Fin1 of Glory, by Aichard = Strauss at bibleor1 &retrie5ed (9
#u1ust 7**>'
(7 Jump up & 7Y7:+ )Y7>, )Y:*, :+Y:, :+Y(+, :+Y7>
(9 Jump up & $arany, ENra The Torah Codes 4afkah $ooks, 7*(( pp 9:)M9>>
(: Jump up & "onas, !ans, The ,nostic "eligion, ()<+, p )+
(< Jump up & General #ssociation of $ranch 4a5idian Se5enthG4ay #d5entists,
pa1e found 7*(*G*)G(:
E"ternal links2edit3
The Shekhinah in "udaism
!ymn to the Sabbath by Aabbi ?saac =uria, the (>th century Fabbalist
EBtensi5e collection of studies on the feminine aspect of the ShekinahY!oly Spirit
as it relates to men and %omen both bein1 created in the ima1e and likeness of the
Godhead, and Christ bein1 the literally be1otten Son of God
The #utiot of the Shekinah by Carlo Suares
Shekinah Aetreat Centre # 8ennonite bible camp, in Saskatche%an, Canada, that
is named after the %ord Shekinah
"e%ish Encyclopedia &()*>'