But this <\/b>process was accomplished through <\/b>the agency of Malchut<\/b><\/i>, Ramchal goes on to say here in Petach<\/i> 52. And he immediately ties it in to the Shechina<\/i> in his own comments here (which Malchut<\/i> is often equated with). So we\u2019ll now discuss the concept of the Shechina<\/i> in various classical works and then from Ramchal\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n
The term Shechina<\/i> itself, which doesn\u2019t appear anywhere in Tanach<\/i> refers to “that which dwells,” and is derived from the verb shachen<\/i> or shachan<\/i>, “to dwell” or “reside”.<\/b><\/p>\n
The impetus to provide a term for God\u2019s presence — which is at bottom the meaning of Shechina<\/i> — was the problem of just where to locate God. If He\u2019s said to dwell in the Tabernacle or the Holy Temple (see Exodus 25:22, Leviticus 16:2, 2 Samuel 6:2, etc.) and to also be \u201cthe God of heaven\u201d (Ezra 6:10, etc.), while it\u2019s nonetheless true that \u201c\u00a0the whole earth is full of His glory\u201d (Isaiah 6:3), then just where is He?<\/p>\n
The answer of course is that all are true, but that\u2019s not all a simple concept to get across, as His existing in lofty places seems befitting to His glorious being, while His dwelling in the muck and mire, if you will, seems to demean Him. Yet the latter allows for our coming in contact with Him in the sorts of ways we\u2019d need to in order to worship Him and draw close to Him which are the bedrocks of the religious life. So let\u2019s see how earlier sages dealt with his dilemma.<\/p>\n
(c) 2013 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman<\/p>\n
Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org<\/a><\/p>\n ———————————————————-<\/p>\n AT LONG LAST! Rabbi Feldman’s translation of Maimonides’ “Eight Chapters” is available here<\/a> at a discount.<\/p>\n You can still purchase a copy of Rabbi Feldman’s translation of “The Gates of Repentance” here<\/a> at a discount as well.<\/p>\n Rabbi Yaakov Feldman has also translated and commented upon “The Path of the Just” and “The Duties of the Heart” (Jason Aronson Publishers).<\/p>\n Rabbi Feldman also offers two free e-mail classes on www.torah.org entitled “Spiritual Excellence<\/a>\u201d and \u201cRamchal<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" But this process was accomplished through the agency of Malchut, Ramchal goes on to say here in Petach 52. And he immediately ties it in to the Shechina in his own comments here (which Malchut is often equated with). So … Continue reading