The Shekhinah

Question 1

SOWAA for God’s presence guiding Moses to the promised land.

Answer 1

‘my presence will go with you.’

Question 2

SOWAA for the divine presence being associated with clouds.

Answer 2

‘the cloud covered it’

Question 3

SOWAA for the divine presence being associated with smoke and fire.

Answer 3

‘the Lord descended on it in fire.’

Question 4

What is the tabernacle?

Answer 4

The holy place containing the Ark of the Covenant.

Question 5

SOWAA for the shekhinah being with Jews.

Answer 5

‘I will dwell among them.’

Question 6

Outline three teachings about the Shekhinah from the Torah. (3)

Answer 6

• One teaching is that the Shekhinah guided Moses to the promised land ‘my presence will go with you.’
• A second teaching is that the Shekhinah is associated with clouds ‘the cloud covered it.’
• A third teaching is that the Shekhinah is associated with smoke and fire ‘the Lord descended on it in fire’

Question 7

SOWAA for Moses receiving the ten commandments.

Answer 7

‘Moses came into contact with the divine presence when he received the commandments on Mount Sinai.’

Question 8

Outline three beliefs about the Shekhinah. (3)

Answer 8

• One belief is that the Shekhinah ‘dwells on Mount Zion.’
• A second belief is that the Shekhinah is God’s presence in the world.
• A third belief is that the when the Prophets had visions of God, they were seeing the Shekhinah.

Question 9

Explain two different understanding of the Shekhinah for Jews today. (4)

Answer 9

• One understanding is that some Reform Jews believe that the Shekhinah represents the female attributes of the presence of God. This is because Shekhinah is a feminine word in Hebrew.
• A second understanding is that they believe that Shekhinah simply means God. This is because they believe that the words Shekhinah and God are interchangeable.

Question 10

Explain two reasons why the Shekhinah is important for Judaism. (5)

Answer 10

• One reason is because the Tenakh references to the Shekhinah being at the Temple on Mount Zion. This is important as it makes those places special for Jews. This is supported by ‘dwells on Mount Zion.’
• A second reason is because Moses was surrounded by the Shekhinah when he received the Torah. This means that Moses received the mitzvot directly from God so they are God’s words.

Question 11

Explain two reasons why the different understandings of the Shekhinah are important for Jews today. (4)

Answer 11

• One reason is because the different meanings show that God is far beyond human thought. This means that He is the eternal immutable and so there are many ways of understanding his presence.
• A second reason is because it allows Jews to relate God to the ideas of the modern world such as feminism. This is important as Jews can have theological debates about whether God is masculine.