Yahuda101 The Shechinah
Yahuda101 The Shechinah The radiance emitting from the ark is said to be the Shechinah, or G-d dwelling within the ark. I like to think of it as G-d’s energy. Shechinah (; lit. "the dwelling"): Shechinah שכינה is derived from the word shochen שכן, “to dwell within.” The Shechinah is G‑d as G‑d is dwelling within . Sometimes we translate Shechinah as “The Divine Presence.” The majestic presence or manifestation of God which has descended to "dwell" among men. The word Shechinah is feminine, and so when we refer to G‑d as the Shechinah, we say “She.” Of course, we’re still referring to the same One G‑d, just in a different modality. The term was used by the Rabbis in place of "God" where the anthropomorphic expressions of the Bible were no longer regarded as proper ( see Anthropomorphism ). The word itself is taken from such passages as speak of God dwelling either in the Tabernacle or among the people of Israel. After all, you were probably wonderin...