According to the Sefer ha-Bahir, they were so well hidden that they couldn't be revealed to just anyone. So, what did God do?
This is where it gets really interesting. God decided to bring all those treasures together, to embody them, in His daughter, the Shekhinah. Shekhinah (שְׁכִינָה) is a Hebrew word often translated as "dwelling" or "presence," and it represents the feminine aspect of God.
Think about it: God concentrated all the paths of wisdom within Her. That way, the divine secrets become accessible to the world, but only to those who knew where to look. Only to those who knew the paths leading to Her. It's like a divine scavenger hunt, but the prize is… well, everything!
And here's the key: if you want to understand these paths, if you want to fathom the depths of heavenly wisdom, you have to turn to Her, to the Shekhinah, for help. Because only She knows where God has hidden those treasures.
Now, you might be thinking, "Wait a minute, a daughter? A feminine aspect of God? Isn't Judaism monotheistic?" And that's a great question. This myth, presented as a parable in the Sefer ha-Bahir, is actually a profound statement about the nature of God. It's the myth of the divine pair, but here, the male and female are, in a way, both contained within the same figure.
As Tree of Souls author Howard Schwartz points out, God contains both the male and female elements, even though they may appear to act independently. It's like monotheism reclaiming the wholeness of God, no matter how many aspects are portrayed. Dualism, from this perspective, becomes a form of monotheism! It's a paradox, absolutely, but it allows for a divinity capable of change, with masculine and feminine aspects, all while remaining a single divine being.
The Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, even says it explicitly: "As the Ancient One, whose name be blessed, took on a form. He shaped everything in male and female form. In another form things could not exist. Therefore the first beginning of development was at once male and female, with Hokhmah as father and Binah as mother" (Zohar 3:290a). Hokhmah (חָכְמָה) is wisdom, and Binah (בִּינָה) is understanding – two of the ten sefirot, or emanations of God, in Kabbalistic thought.
And the Zohar restates the Bahir's identification of the Shekhinah as mother, daughter, and sister: "She (Malkhut— the sefirah representing the Shekhinah) is sometimes called daughter and sometimes sister, and here She is called mother. And in fact She is all these" (Zohar 2:100b). It’s a complex, multi-layered relationship, reflecting the multifaceted nature of the divine.
So, what are these heavenly treasures, exactly? As we mentioned earlier, they're the secrets of Creation and other celestial mysteries. God isn't going to reveal these to just anyone. They are reserved for the initiated. And all these secrets were used to create God's daughter, the Shekhinah, representing God's feminine aspect. Thus, all the mysteries of God are focused in this single figure.
But wait, there’s more! The parable in Sefer ha-Bahir (63) also tells us that God hid His treasures not only in the Shekhinah, but in Her garments as well. What could those garments be? Well, some suggest they represent the Oral Torah, or even the Torah itself. Think about that! The Torah as the means by which God reveals His secrets of Creation!
So, the next time you're seeking wisdom, remember the Shekhinah. Remember that the divine mysteries are not locked away in some inaccessible vault, but embodied in a figure who is both approachable and profound. And maybe, just maybe, if you seek Her out, She'll lead you to the hidden treasures of the universe.