The Shechinah - Nature

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is like the ocean
turquoise deep
healing and smoothing
shores of inland discontent;
waves breaking white,
diamonds in the sun
spilling across the sand,
riches, for all who
immerse themselves
in her translucent waters.

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By Simcha Wasserman More articles... |

Simcha Wasserman lives with his wife and family in Toronto, Canada. He has regularly contributed poems to magazines and periodicals such as Perspectives in Toronto, Concord in London, and Wellsprings in New York. Click here to buy his book.

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Posted: May 11, 2009

To Harry

We know that G-d is neither male nor female. We also know that in all of our literature He is referred to as a male. This resonates with our understanding of G-d as the Creator and giver of everything. On the other hand the word “Shechinah” is surely feminine.

How does this fit? According to the kabbalists, G-d created the world through a long chain of self-imposed contractions until He had a "space" where we could exist. In this chain, His presence gets passed along from reality to reality—each one giving to the next that that which it received from the reality before it. As each of these manifestations gives, it plays the male role. As it receives, it plays the female role.

Hence, when we refer to reflection of His presence (such as His presence on earth is termed), the female terminology is applied.

Please see Is G-d a He? for some fascinating insights and honest searching on this matter.

Posted By Menachem Posner for Chabad.org

Posted: May 11, 2009

shechinah

Shalom Rabbi.

I have been told by friends of mine that the word shechinah represents God's feminine attribute. I objected by stating it was God's presence but was gender neutral.

That it was only God's presence on earth. To my thinking, God is always masculine. But, in a mixed crowd I do not argue God's gender.

Please clarify for me whether the term shechinah is the feminine presence of God.
I never looked at the shechinah as feminine.

Book and web references would be appreciated.

Tdah Rabbah.

Posted By Harry Strout, Walnut Creek, CA

Nature


	Sea of Reeds


	A Gift


	Rainbow


	The Shechinah


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	Mountain Air


	The Great Blue Heron

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	Sea of Reeds is a lively, moving work of art that includes a wide range of poetic forms, including haiku, lyrical, rhyming and free verse, all of which share the underlying theme of our connection to G-d in daily life.