SECTION 1 JUDAISM- TOPIC 2.1.2 SHEKINAH Flashcards
What is shekhinah ?
deliberately difficult to define because it is a way of describing the Almighty’s presence in the world
use finite words to describe the infinite – something which could never be accurate
rabbis always used the term shekhinah when they were referring to any form of contact humans may have with God.
‘the majestic presence of God which has descended to dwell among men’.
How shekhinah is shown in the Torah
The Torah speaks of God’s presence (shekhinah) going with Moses to guide him through the wilderness to the promised land:
“My presence will go with you”
What is the Shekinah associated with?
1
clouds
“cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai’
What is the Shekinah associated with?
2
smoke and fire
“Mount Sinai was covered with smoke”
Different understandings of shekhinah for Jews
today
Orthodox Jews
base themselves on the teachings of Maimonides, who described the
shekhinah as a light
created to be a link between God and the world.
Different understandings of shekhinah for Jews
today
REFORM
represent the feminine attributes of the presence of God because Shekhinah is a feminine word in Hebrew.
Different understandings of shekhinah for Jews
today
OTHERS
shekhinah as an expression for the various ways
in which God is related to the world
shekhinah=God They feel that shekhinah and God are interchangeable words.
Jews who have been influenced by Christian ideas claim
that shekhinah is simply the Jewish word for the Holy Spirit – God’s presence at work in the world.
Why is the shekhinah important for Judaism?
-The idea of shekhinah shows that however close Jews may feel to God, God’s presence is so holy and awesome that they must always maintain a deep sense of respect for God
-Tenakh references to the shekhinah being at the Temple, Mount Zion and Jerusalem are what makes those places so special for some Jews.
-teaches that God’s presence is in the world and that
believers might therefore come across the shekhinah at any time.
Why the different understandings of shekhinah are
important for Jews today?
-The different meanings show that God is far beyond human thought. He is the eternal immutable and so there are many ways of understanding his presence.
-it easier for Jews and Christians to come together in their search for God.
-allows Judaism to relate God to the ideas of the modern world such as feminism and the theological debates about whether God is masculine.
Immutable –
unable to be changed and unchanging over time
