And the answers? Well, they're as varied and beautiful as the stars in the night sky.
Some say God dwells in the celestial realms, way up in the highest heaven, seated on the Kisei ha-Kavod, the Throne of Glory. Imagine that! A king on his throne, ruling over all creation. It's an image that evokes power and majesty.
But others propose a different picture. They say God hovers equidistant between the upper and lower worlds, a perfect balance between heaven and earth. Think of it like the fulcrum of a cosmic seesaw. This idea finds its roots in the verse from Isaiah (66:1): "The heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool."
So, which is it? Up in heaven or hovering in between?
Maybe… both.
Perhaps the most intriguing piece of this puzzle is the concept of the Shekhinah. Shekhinah, in Hebrew, refers to the Divine Presence. It's that feeling you get sometimes, that sense of something bigger than yourself watching over you. The Shekhinah is often described as making her home right here in this world, our world.
We often identify God as dwelling in heaven. We see this vividly in Isaiah's vision (Isaiah 6:1-8), where God is seated on a "high and lofty throne." But, as we’ve seen, there are other perspectives.
Now, the traditional view is that the Shekhinah's earthly home was the Temple in Jerusalem. A specific, sacred space dedicated to connection. A place where heaven and earth felt especially close.
But here's where it gets even more interesting. The Shekhinah isn't always defined the same way. Sometimes, the Shekhinah is identified as God. Sometimes, as simply the Divine Presence. And sometimes—and this is my favorite—as the Bride of God.
Think about that for a second. The Shekhinah as the Bride of God. It suggests a relationship, an intimacy, a constant back-and-forth between the divine and the human. This idea, as we find in Sha'arei Orah 1, paints a picture of God not as distant and aloof, but as deeply involved in our world, in our lives.
So, where does God dwell? Maybe the answer isn't a place at all. Maybe it's a relationship. Maybe God dwells in the space between heaven and earth, between the divine and the human, between us and… well, everything. Maybe God dwells within the yearning itself. What do you think?