Glossary · Torah Ohr · Likkutei Torah
Shechinah
שכינה
The Shechinah (Divine Presence)
G‑d’s Malchus as it “dwells” among created beings to give them life: Malchus of Atzilus come down below Atzilus. Its being clothed below, down to the kelipos, is called the exile of the Shechinah.
The word In the Sages’ phrases (גלו למצרים שכינה עמהם; שכינה שרויה) the word means G‑d’s presence among people; the maamarim read these as Malchus. Shechinta Ila’ah (the “upper Shechinah”) is a different level: Binah (Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8:11), or the bittul of yichuda ila’ah, with Shechinta Tata’ah as yichuda tata’ah (Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1:3).
Where it’s explained
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶11When Malchus descends into Beriah it is called Shechinah, as G‑dliness dwelt in the Holy of Holies. Within Atzilus the word does not apply, since there Malchus is wholly one with the Or Ein Sof and does not yet rest in the source of created beings; only when it becomes Atik of Beriah, clothed in Arich Anpin of Beriah, is it called Shechinah.
בהיותה באצי׳ לא שייך לשון שכינה מאחר שמיוחדת שם באור א״ס בתכלית היחוד
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 2, ¶6In “for the sake of the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah,” the Holy One, blessed be He, is what is holy and separate from the category of worlds, beyond grasp; His Shechinah is His might and kingship clothed in the worlds to give them life and bring them from nothing into being. A mitzvah, done in physical action and against one’s nature, unites the two.
ושכינתיה הוא שכינת עוזו ומלכותו המתלבשת בבחינת עלמין להחיותם ולהיות מהווה אותם מאין ליש
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32, ¶28His Shechinah is the radiance drawn from Him to dwell in the lower realms as memalei kol almin. Through Torah study the light of sovev, which is holy and separate, is revealed below within the Shechinah, for when a person studies, the Holy One, blessed be He, studies opposite him; this is the unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah.
שכינתיה הוא בחי׳ ההארה שנמשך ממנו ית׳ להיות שוכן בתחתונים בבחי׳ ממכ״ע
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6, ¶7“They went down to Egypt and the Shechinah with them”: Malchus of Atzilus clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah is the exile of the Shechinah, its exile within Mitzrayim and limits.
שבחינת מלכות דאצילות מתלבשת בבי״ע ממש והוא גלות השכינה
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6, ¶4G‑d desires a yesh that becomes nullified, and for that His light descended through concealments. The exile of the Shechinah is when the G‑dly light called Shechinah is clothed in the seventy princes to give them life, and they are a yesh of their own (“My river is mine”), so no bittul follows; the light is lowered to the bottom of the levels, the dwelling of the kelipos.
בחי׳ גלות השכינה הוא כשנמשך הארת אלקותו ית׳ הנק׳ בשם שכינה ומתלבשת בע׳ שרים להחיותן
Stated differently
Whether the Shechinah itself is memalei kol almin, or only its radiance (ziv) is, with G‑d’s Malchus itself encompassing (sovev) the worlds
שכינה הוא בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ השוכן בתחתונים כי מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים והוא בחינת ממכ״עThe Shechinah is His Malchus, which dwells in the lower realms (“Your kingship is the kingship of all worlds”); it is memalei kol almin, only a glimmer from His essence, which is sovev.
קוב״ה היינו בחי׳ קדוש ומובדל. וכענין הגבל את ההר וקדשתו דהיינו בחי׳ סוכ״ע ושכינתיה הוא בחי׳ ממכ״עThe Holy One, blessed be He, is the holy and separate, sovev; His Shechinah is memalei; their union is the drawing from sovev into memalei.
בחי׳ מלכותו ית׳ היא בחי׳ סובב ומקיף על העולמות רק זיו והארה ממנה נמשך להיות מתלבש בהעולמות והוא ענין זיו השכינהAs a king’s exaltation is above the people of his land, His Malchus is sovev and encompasses the worlds; only a radiance from it is clothed in the worlds, and that is the radiance of the Shechinah (ziv haShechinah), memalei kol almin.
הוא רק מבחי׳ זיו והארה לבד מהשכינה ב״ה שבחי׳ זיו זה הוא הנמשך להיות ממכ״עThe life drawn into the inwardness of the worlds is only a radiance from the Shechinah, and that radiance is what becomes memalei kol almin.
To which levels the name Shechinah applies
רק כשנעשית בחי׳ עתיק לבריאה ומתלבשת בא״א דבריאהMalchus is called Shechinah only when it descends to become Atik of Beriah; within Atzilus the word does not apply. The maamar then adds that Binah is called Shechinta Ila’ah, and that one may say Malchus as it is in Atzilus is also so called.
באצילות הם יחוד זו״נ ולמעלה מעלה נק׳ הקו הנמשך מאא״ס ב״ה שכינהThe unification of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Shechinah is found up to the highest levels: in Atzilus it is the union of Zeir Anpin and Nukva, and far higher the Kav drawn from the Or Ein Sof is called Shechinah, being drawn from Malchus of Ein Sof, while the essence of the Emanator is called the Holy One, blessed be He.
What is called the exile of the Shechinah: Malchus of Atzilus being clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, or its light being clothed in the seventy princes, as distinct from the descent that brings created beings into being
שבחינת מלכות דאצילות מתלבשת בבי״ע ממש והוא גלות השכינה“They were exiled to Egypt, the Shechinah with them”: Malchus of Atzilus being clothed in Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah is the exile of the Shechinah, its exile within Mitzrayim and limits.
אבל בחי׳ גלות השכינה הוא כשנמשך הארת אלקותו ית׳ הנק׳ בשם שכינה ומתלבשת בע׳ שרים להחיותןThe descent of His light through concealments so that a yesh comes into being is what He desires, so that the yesh then becomes nullified; the exile of the Shechinah is when the light called Shechinah is clothed in the seventy princes to give them life, and they remain a yesh of their own, so that no bittul follows.
Main sources
Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8, ¶11Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 2, ¶6Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32, ¶23Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32, ¶28Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6, ¶7Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6, ¶4Likkutei Torah, Emor 1, ¶21
Where it appears
In 304 paragraphs of 172 maamarim.
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 5 ¶2 ¶6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 9 ¶9 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 10 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 1 ¶2 ¶10 ¶11 ¶14 ¶16 ¶21 ¶24 ¶26 ¶36
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 2 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 1 ¶6 ¶15 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 2 ¶1 ¶5 ¶17 ¶24 ¶31
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 3 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 3 ¶3 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 6 ¶4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 8 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 5 ¶2 ¶21 ¶24 ¶32
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 8 ¶11 ¶19 ¶20
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 20 ¶4 ¶23 ¶28
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 22 ¶24
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 23 ¶22
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 32 ¶23 ¶24 ¶28 ¶34 ¶36 ¶42 ¶43
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 33 ¶5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 5 ¶6 ¶7 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10 ¶11 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 4 ¶12
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 5 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 7 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 8 ¶5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Yom Kippur 2 ¶7 ¶16 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 5 ¶5 ¶12 ¶24
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 1 ¶8 ¶31
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 2 ¶8 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 5 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 2 ¶4 ¶12 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 2 ¶2 ¶6 ¶7 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Pekudei 1 ¶1 ¶26 ¶27 ¶36 ¶40 ¶43 ¶58 ¶59
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 41 ¶1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 19 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 6 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 3 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 3 ¶36
- Likkutei Torah, Ki Seitzei 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 2 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 3 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 5 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 12 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 15 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 21 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 4 ¶16
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 9 ¶1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 4 ¶2 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 5 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 12 ¶8 ¶18
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 8 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 11 ¶2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 15 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 8 ¶3 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Nitzavim 6 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 3 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 13 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 14 ¶3 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 18 ¶10 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 27 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 36 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 3 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 6 ¶2 ¶7 ¶18 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 10 ¶8 ¶9 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 7 ¶16 ¶24 ¶25 ¶29
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 4 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 7 ¶6 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Behar 1 ¶14 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Eikev 3 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Emor 6 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 29 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 4 ¶3 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 2 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 7 ¶1 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Toldos 2 ¶1 ¶11 ¶16
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 2 ¶18 ¶27
- Likkutei Torah, Acharei 2 ¶5 ¶10 ¶11
- Likkutei Torah, Bamidbar 5 ¶15 ¶17
- Likkutei Torah, Bechukosai 5 ¶4 ¶5 ¶10
- Likkutei Torah, Behaaloscha 6 ¶8 ¶9 ¶24 ¶27 ¶28 ¶31
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 1 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 1 ¶1 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Nasso 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 2 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 2 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 4 ¶1 ¶5 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 34 ¶1 ¶5 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 4 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, V’Zos HaBerachah 6 ¶13
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 11 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 6 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 8 ¶3 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 1 ¶4 ¶5
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 1 ¶22 ¶32
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 4 ¶2 ¶3 ¶15 ¶21
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 11 ¶19
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 16 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Noach 4 ¶11
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 1 ¶15
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 3 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 5 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Beshalach 1 ¶5 ¶19 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 4 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 2 ¶1 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 6 ¶6 ¶24 ¶33
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 7 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Noach 1 ¶1 ¶3 ¶5 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Bereishis 2 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Beshalach 1 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Masei 7 ¶8
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 5 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 9 ¶12 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Shabbos Shuvah 3 ¶27 ¶29 ¶34
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 4 ¶12
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 9 ¶5 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 12 ¶37
- Torah Ohr, Va’eira 2 ¶3 ¶8 ¶9 ¶27
- Torah Ohr, Vayeitzei 4 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Pinchas 2 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 3 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 3 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 13 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Tazria 6 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 8 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 2 ¶2 ¶3 ¶6 ¶8
- Torah Ohr, Lech Lecha 3 ¶1 ¶6
- Torah Ohr, Noach 3 ¶4 ¶20
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 6 ¶14
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 7 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Haazinu 4 ¶2 ¶3 ¶4 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Rosh Hashanah 7 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 7 ¶1
- Likkutei Torah, Shelach 18 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 14 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 24 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 26 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Chayei Sarah 3 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 1 ¶17
- Torah Ohr, Mishpatim 3 ¶1
- Torah Ohr, Shemos 7 ¶18 ¶21
- Likkutei Torah, Chukas 11 ¶10
- Torah Ohr, Vayeira 2 ¶14 ¶15
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 17 ¶26
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 12 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 1 ¶5
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 5 ¶18 ¶19
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Vayikra 3 ¶13
- Torah Ohr, Noach 2 ¶7
- Torah Ohr, Yisro 9 ¶24 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 6 ¶28
- Torah Ohr, Vayechi 3 ¶23
- Likkutei Torah, Re’eh 2 ¶4
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 3 ¶25
- Likkutei Torah, Matos 3 ¶2
- Likkutei Torah, Sukkos 3 ¶6
- Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 10 ¶14
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 2 ¶7
- Likkutei Torah, Va’eschanan 12 ¶18
- Likkutei Torah, Balak 1 ¶4
- Torah Ohr, Mikeitz 13 ¶3
- Torah Ohr, Vayeishev 1 ¶3
- Likkutei Torah, Shemini Atzeres 8 ¶9
- Likkutei Torah, Tzav 1 ¶2
- Torah Ohr, Megillas Esther 4 ¶9
- Torah Ohr, Tetzaveh 3 ¶15
Written with AI from the paragraphs of Torah Ohr and Likkutei Torah, each entry checked by a second AI reader and every Hebrew quote checked by code; not yet reviewed by a person. Our English: CC BY-NC 4.0.