1.2 : Shekhinah

Question 1

How is the shekhinah shown in the Torah?

Answer 1

• God’s prescence was with Moses to guide him throught the wilderness on the journey to the Promised Land.
• God’s prescence was on Mount Sinai, when God gave the commandments.
• Moses’ face shining when he came into direct contact with the divine prescence.
• God choosing the tabernacle as the place for his prescence ; so holy that nothing unclean could touch it.

Question 2

What are some of the different understandings of the shekhinah today?

Answer 2

• Some Reform Jews believe that the shekhinah is a light created to be a link between God and the people.
• Some Jews believe that the shekhinah is an expression for the various ways in which God relates to the world.
• Some Jews believe that shekhinhah means God, and the words are interchangeable.
• In the kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), the shekhinah is the gateway to higher consciousness, which brings followers into God’s prescence.

Question 3

Why is the shekhinah important for Jews?

Answer 3

• The idea of shekhinah means that however close Jews may feel to God, his prescence is so holy, that it must be respected, which is why Jews only use God’s complete name in worship.
• The shekhinah being at the Temple, Mount Zion, and Jerusalem, is what makes these places so special for some Jews.
• The teaching that the shekhinah was present when Moses recieved the Torah, means that the Mitzvot comes directly from God, and so they are God’s words.
• The shekhinah means that God’s prescence is in the world, and believers might come across it at any time.

Question 4

What are some of the different understandings of the word shekhinah?

Answer 4

• Shekhinah shows that God is far beyond human thought and so there are many different ways of understanding his prescence.
• Shekhinah allows Judaism to relate to modern theological debates about whether God is masculine.
• Shekhinah makes it easier for Jews and Christians to come together in search of God

Question 5

What does Exodus 33 say about the divine prescence?

Answer 5

“My prescence will go with you, and I will give you rest”

Question 6

What does Isaiah 6:1 say about the prescence?

Answer 6

“I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, the train of his robe filled the Temple”

Question 7

What does Exodus 19 say about the divine prescence?

Answer 7

“Mount Sinai was covered in smoke, because the Lord had descended on it in fire”