Shekhinah
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Shekhinah (- alternative
transliterations Shekinah, Shechinah, Shekina,
Shechina, Schechinah, שכינה) is the English spelling of a
feminine Hebrew language word that means the
dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or
settling presence of God, especially in the
Temple in Jerusalem.
Shechinah 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 Bible. (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 word is often used
to refer to bird's 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 "Shechinah" also means "royalty" or "royal residence"
(The Greek word σκήνη - dwelling - is thought to be
derived from שכינה and שכן. [citation needed]) The word for Tabernacle, mishcan, is a derivative of
the same root and is also 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
Shekhina 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.
According to
Professor Kern, Shekinah means "the presence of God."
[citation
needed]
Meaning in
Judaism
The Shekinah is held
by many to represent the feminine attributes of the presence of God
(shekhinah being a feminine word in Hebrew), based especially on readings
of the Talmud.[1]
Where
manifest
The Shekhinah is
referred to as manifest in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem throughout Rabbinic
literature. It is also reported as being present in the acts of public prayer,
("Whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shechinah rests" Talmud
Sanhedrin 39a); righteous judgment ("when three sit as judges, the Shechinah is
with them." Talmud Berachot 6a), and personal need ("The Shechinah dwells over
the headside of the sick man's bed" Talmud Shabbat 12b; "Wheresoever they were
exiled, the Shechinah went with them." Megillah 29a).
In the
absence of the Temple
The Talmud 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 Kadosh Kadoshim (Holy of
Holies):
"[And so shall he do
in the midst of the Tent of Meeting] that dwells (shokhen) among them in
the midst of their impurities (Leviticus 16:16). Even at
a time when the Jews are impure, the Shekhinah (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." (Lamentations 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. Talmud Tractate Yoma 56b
Forms of
manifestation in Jewish sources
The
Talmud reports that the
Shekhinah is what caused prophets to prophesy and King David to
compose his Psalms The Shechinah manifests itself as a form of joy, connected
with prophecy and creativity: Talmud Pesachim 117a) The Talmud also reports that
"The Shechinah 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 Shechinah 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 Shekhinah 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
Samuel 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, particularly visions of thrones or
robes that fill the Sanctuary, that are traditionally associated with and
described as visions 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."
Meaning in
Hassidic Judaism
Hassidic Judaism regards
the Kabbalah, in which the
Shekhinah has special significance, as having scriptural authority. The word
'Matronit' is also employed to represent this
usage.
The
Shekhinah 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 Luria. Here is a quotation from the
beginning of his famous shabbat 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 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
Shechinah as the Shabbat Bride, the Shabbat Hamalka, continues to this
day.
In Jewish
prayers
The 17th blessing of
the daily Amidah prayer said in Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform services is "Blessed are You, God, who
returns His Presence (shekhinato) to Zion."
The Shekhinah in
Christianity
In addition to the
various accounts indicating the presence or glory of God recorded in the Hebrew Bible, 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:
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 temple. When the
Lord led Israel out of Egypt,
he went before them "in a pillar of a cloud." This
was the symbol of his presence with his people. God also spoke to Moses through
the 'shekhinah' out of a burning bush. 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 Solomon, 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 holies as the symbol of Jehovah's
presence so long as that temple stood. It afterwards disappeared. [1]
References to the
Shekhinah in Christianity often see the presence and the
glory of the Lord as being synonymous,[2] 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 Shekhinah in the
New Testament is commonly equated to the presence or indwelling of the Spirit of
the Lord (generally referred to as the Holy Spirit, or Spirit of Christ) in the believer, drawing
parallels to the presence of God in Solomon's Temple. 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)
In Gnostic sects of Christianity, Shekhinah is
identified with Sophia, the feminine
aspect of God.
The Glory
of the Lord
Where references are
made to the Shekhinah 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 Luke 2:9 which refers to the "glory of the
Lord" shining on the shepherds at Jesus' birth)[3] 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)[4]. 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).
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.
Picture of
Shekinah (Melchizedek's semi-material presense)
Israelites in
tents around sacred place of worship the Tabernacle. Melchizedek's
presense(Shekinah) at night was like a fire and during the day it was a
cloud that moved and led the Israelites.
Picture of the inside of the entire Tabernacle. Melchizedek's presense was over the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest could enter it once a year on The Day of Atonement.