The Nature of G-d and the Divine Presence
The Nature of G-d in Judaism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion — Jews believe in one God alone. The word “God” is sometimes written as “G-d” in Jewish tradition as a mark of deep reverence, avoiding any risk of the divine name being treated disrespectfully. The most fundamental statement of Jewish belief about the nature of G-d appears in the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This affirmation of G-d’s oneness is the cornerstone of Jewish theology and is recited morning and evening.
Key Attributes of G-d
Jews understand G-d through several essential characteristics. G-d is described as Creator — the origin of all that exists. Genesis 1:1 opens with the declaration that “In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth,” establishing that the physical universe depends entirely on G-d for its existence. G-d is also understood as Eternal: unlike created beings, G-d has no beginning and no end and exists outside of time.
G-d is Law-Giver: Jewish tradition teaches that G-d communicated the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai, providing the laws by which the Jewish people should live. Alongside this, G-d is Judge — the One who holds humanity accountable. On Rosh Hashannah, the New Year, Jews believe G-d judges the deeds of every person and determines what the coming year will hold. G-d is also All-powerful (omnipotent), All-knowing (omniscient), All-good (benevolent), and Everywhere (omnipresent).
Judaism teaches that G-d is One, Creator, Law-Giver, Judge and Eternal, as well as All-powerful, All-good, All-knowing and Everywhere. The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) is the central declaration of G-d’s oneness and is the most important prayer in Jewish life.
Transcendent and Immanent
G-d is understood in Judaism as both transcendent — utterly beyond human comprehension and above the created universe — and immanent — close to and involved in the lives of human beings. Genesis 1:27 teaches that humans are created in the image of G-d, suggesting a relationship between the divine and humanity. This tension between transcendence and immanence is reflected throughout Jewish scripture and prayer.
G-d is described as “concerned with humanity” and “intervening” in history: the Exodus narrative shows G-d actively liberating the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Yet G-d’s nature also lies far beyond human understanding. The Book of Job explores how G-d’s ways can seem mysterious and beyond human reckoning, even while G-d remains just and good.
The Problem of Evil and Suffering
If G-d is all-powerful and all-good, why does evil and suffering exist? This is a profound question in Jewish thought. The Book of Job presents a righteous man who suffers terribly without apparent cause, raising the question of how G-d’s justice and goodness can be reconciled with human suffering. Jewish responses have varied: some emphasise that human free will allows for moral evil; others point to G-d’s justice working over longer timescales than humans can perceive; still others acknowledge that some suffering remains beyond full human understanding.
The Book of Job (which appears in the Jewish scriptures known as the Tenakh) presents G-d allowing Satan to test Job through terrible suffering. Job demands answers, and G-d responds by pointing to the incomprehensible vastness of creation, suggesting that human understanding is too limited to grasp divine purposes. The Book of Jonah illustrates a different aspect: G-d’s mercy even on enemies, showing that G-d’s judgement is tempered by compassion.
Orthodox Jewish thinkers have often emphasised that suffering can refine a person spiritually or serve as a test of faith. Progressive Jewish thinkers have sometimes moved away from seeing G-d as directly causing suffering, understanding G-d instead as a source of strength and comfort in difficult times. After the Holocaust, many Jewish theologians have engaged deeply with the question of whether belief in G-d’s justice and goodness can be maintained.
The Shekinah — G-d’s Manifest Presence
The Shekinah is a concept found in the Talmud and later Jewish writings. The word derives from the Hebrew root meaning “to dwell.” The Shekinah refers to the palpable, manifest presence of G-d dwelling among or near human beings — it is the “nearness” of G-d made tangible.
In the Hebrew scriptures, the Shekinah is described as appearing in the form of a cloud or pillar of fire. In Exodus 40:35, the cloud of G-d’s glory — the Shekinah — filled the Tabernacle so completely that even Moses could not enter. Similarly, Exodus 13:20–22 describes the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night that guided the Israelites through the wilderness. In Exodus 24:16, the glory of G-d settled on Mount Sinai like a cloud. Numbers 9:16 records that the cloud remained over the Tabernacle night and day throughout the Israelites’ wilderness journey.
The Shekinah is first used as a term in the Talmud (not the Hebrew Bible itself), and it refers to G-d’s manifest dwelling presence. It is associated with the cloud and pillar of fire in Exodus (Exodus 13:20–22; Exodus 40:35) and later became linked with ideas of G-d’s feminine aspects.
The Shekinah and the Feminine Aspects of G-d
In Jewish mystical and rabbinic thought, the Shekinah has often been understood as a feminine aspect of G-d. The Hebrew word “Shekinah” is grammatically feminine, and this has led thinkers in the Jewish mystical tradition (Kabbalah) to associate the Shekinah with the feminine dimension of the divine. In Kabbalistic thought, the divine nature is understood through ten attributes called the Sefirot. The Shekinah is associated with the lowest of these Sefirot, representing G-d’s immanent, creative and nurturing presence within the world.
There are different understandings of the Shekinah among Jewish thinkers. Some understand the Shekinah as synonymous with G-d — simply a way of speaking about G-d’s presence rather than a separate aspect of the divine. In this view, saying “the Shekinah dwells here” is the same as saying “G-d is present here.” This is the more mainstream rabbinic interpretation.
Others, particularly in Kabbalistic (Jewish mystical) tradition, see the Shekinah as G-d descending to dwell on Earth — a distinct emanation of the divine that bridges heaven and earth. Here the Sefirot explain how a transcendent G-d can be present within the created world. Some modern Jewish theologians use the Shekinah to explore the feminine dimension of the divine, challenging purely masculine language for G-d. More traditional (Orthodox) interpretation tends to resist seeing G-d as having a gender, understanding such language as metaphorical rather than literal.