The Women's Haggadah: "Shekhinah" or "She Who Dwells in Our Midst"
"The Shekhinah is a Kabbalistic concept, the female aspect of God. She is addressed in prayer, especially during the holidays of Sukkoth and the arrival of the New Moon. The sage Rabbi Yohanan said, `Whoever blesses the New Moon at the proper time is considered as having welcomed the presence of the Shekhinah.'
Etymologically, Shikoon is neighborhood. Shekena is a neighbor. We could nicely use such a neighborly presence as She Who Dwells in Our Midst."
(The Women's Haggadah. © 1993, 1994 by E.M. Broner)
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