Jewish tradition has a powerful way of describing that feeling: exile. But not just our exile, the exile of the Shekhinah.
The Shekhinah, often translated as the Divine Presence, is understood as the feminine aspect of God, the immanent presence that dwells among us. And according to the Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei_Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, our sins cause her exile, driving her from her place, from her very nesting place: Jerusalem.
It's a sobering thought, isn't it?
The verse from Isaiah (50:1) hits hard: "…and through your sins was your mother sent away." The Tikkunei Zohar sees in the verse from Deuteronomy (22:7), "You shall surely send," – shaleiaḥ te-shalaḥ – a double sending, a double exile. One from the First Temple, and one from the Second Temple. Two devastating losses, each a consequence of our actions.
But here's where it gets really interesting. You might ask: if the Shekhinah is exiled, is the Blessed Holy One, Kadosh Baruch Hu, also driven away? Does God abandon us in our suffering?
The answer, according to the Tikkunei Zohar, is a resounding no!
Proverbs 27:8 tells us: "Like a bird wandering from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his place." This isn't just about our wandering; it's about God's. God, in a sense, also wanders, but not to abandon, but "so as to guard Her in exile, from the foreign domain."
Isn’t that incredible? Even in exile, even when we feel most alone, the Divine Presence is protected, watched over. God, in this understanding, doesn't just send us into exile and forget about us. God goes with us.
Think about it. The Shekhinah, this intimate aspect of the Divine, is vulnerable in exile. And the Holy One, Kadosh Baruch Hu, remains present to protect Her, to safeguard that connection even in the darkest of times.
It’s a powerful image of resilience and unwavering love. Even when we stumble, even when our actions lead to separation, the possibility of return, of reunion, remains. The Divine is not absent, but actively present, guarding the flame of hope in the midst of exile. The exile isn't just a punishment, but a shared experience, a shared journey, with the Divine walking alongside us, always.