INTRO TO TIKKUN SHECHINAH
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Should your heart be open and your mind clear, this sefer has but one objective for you: to reunite you with Hashem and the Shechinah in ways that will enrich your life, both in your religious worship and your day-to-day activities.
As in the beginning with all reunions, there is much learning to do about one another, and a deeper understanding is needed to reunite harmoniously. We must begin by humbling ourselves to receive the light of this book, and what the Shechinah has to offer us. There is so much we have to learn about the Shechinah - in fact, we do not realize what truly amazing things await us!
The Hebrew word Shechinah can be translated to mean “Divine Presence”. When Hashem created the world, He also created the concept of the Shechinah, a constricted light that emanated from Him. This was in order that man could attach himself to Hashem. When Adam sinned in Gan Eden, Hashem sent the Shechinah to accompany him into exile, to protect and help him return to the proper ways.
We can think of the relationship between Hashem and the Shechinah as similar to that of the sun to the moon. Hashem is like the sun. The sun is too bright and powerful for the human eye to look at unaided, especially the closer you get to it. With the use of certain filters, scientists can look directly at the sun, as these filters cause the light of the sun to be dimmed. The same principle of filters can be applied to knowledge of the light of Hashem. The cleaner and purer the heart, the more directly one can look into Hashem’s light. Hashem also provides us with spiritual “sunglasses”, to give us shade, allowing us to get closer to His light. By trying our best to perform the 613 commandments properly, we can gain a measure of shade for our spiritual “eyes”.
The Shechinah is often compared to the moon. It is the feminine aspect of Hashem - the accessible version of Hashem’s light, available to all. One can look directly at the moon and easily see its light. We can see the moon both day and night, but most easily at night, when the world is in darkness. Shechinah, the moon, may disappear behind the clouds of life, but we know that she is there, waiting for us. She is also regarded as mother to Benay Yisrael (the Jewish people). When we hurt, so does She. The Shechinah bears alone much of the pain of the galus (exile) for us, as the full burden would be too much. She is like a mother, grieving over the pains of Her children. She yearns to comfort us, but, unaware of Her presence and Her real importance, we very much ignore Her - not understanding how to connect to Her and the Shechinah's real importance. This sefer serves to help us build a relationship between man and the Shechinah; to reunite us with our mother.
One thing we must realize is that the Shechinah is for us. She was sent into exile by Hashem to be with Her children, to benefit us with Her greatness and light. We were born to receive that light from Her, which is very much the purpose of our existence. Hashem’s will in creating us was that he might shine upon us His light, to share with us the greatness of His existence. (One can only imagine how much more light is reserved for the righteous ones as they enjoy the reward of the Garden of Eden.) The Shechinah is our connection to Him - it is the constricted light of Hashem.
Since the Shechinah is there for us, certainly we can feel Her light and be connected to Her at every moment. We also must also take upon ourselves the responsibility of elevating Her. For too long, she has been cast aside like a stranger. Ignorant of Her presence, we neither cared for Her, nor appreciated Her. We have not known our own mother, and we walk around all our lives like orphans, not knowing of Her real existence. By performing the mitzvos, studying Torah, and purifying ourselves, we become able to rekindle this important relationship.
Within this sefer, we have gathered from our Sages some of the greatest and most inspirational teachings about the Shechinah. We have also uncovered much of the mystery about Her, as we shed light upon Her and open our eyes to a strength otherwise unknown to us. Through the learning of Tikkun Shechinah, you will be able to aid in the Tikkun Ohlom (rectification of the world) and attain a greater level of self-perfection, learned with the guidance of the Shechinah herself. This is truly a very original work and an important one.
Happy will those be who can
contribute financially and editorially towards this project. Please enjoy the
beginning stages I have shared with you here online.
Feel free to comment to me on any thoughts you encounter while reading this. Please note that all the material here for you is unedited.
Yours
Truly,
Reb Moshe Steinerman of Safed