One of the more arresting images used for God is that of God as a Man or a Woman. But why do we refer to God so frequently as He? Can God ever be called She?
While the actualities of gender are of course irrelevant to God, who has no body, there is a reason for the use of these allegories. Let us penetrate the surface toward a sophisticated understanding underlying these images.
BANANAS AND INFINITY
Before tackling our question, we must ask another one: Why is imagery used at all to describe an unknowable God? It seems so pagan!
Humans are hopelessly addicted to physical reality. Our ability to think in abstractions without using the physical world as a base tends to be illusory. We turn to words to convey ideas that are vastly beyond our experience, and fool ourselves into thinking that because we feel comfortable with the word, our grasp of the idea it conveys is complete.
Try an exercise. Close your eyes and picture three bananas, without dividing them into groups (two on top, one on bottom, etc.) or counting them. No problem, right?
Now do the same with seven bananas. Remember, no grouping or counting. Most of us will find this extremely difficult. If you move on to picture 12 bananas without grouping or counting, you are now on a mission impossible.
If you can't see 12 bananas, then you don't have much concept of "infinite" and "Almighty."
To paraphrase Maimonides (in the first part of his famous "Guide to the Perplexed"), if you can't see 12 bananas, then you don't have much concept of phrases like "infinite," "Almighty," etc.
Maimonides' observation is humbling, but is also quite honest in regard to understanding human nature. We need concrete images. For this reason, the same Torah that unequivocally tells us that God has no form, also allows for rich and varied "earthly" images -- e.g. the strong hand of God, the watchful eyes of God, etc.
Now let's move to he/she.
The Zohar uses gender imagery consistently. He points out that God's unity takes two forms, as do humans who express His image. The two physical forms that characterize the world -- male and female -- act as a living metaphor for the two ways in which God makes His presence known.
The Talmud and the mystics use the "Holy One Blessed Be He" as the masculine phrase, and "Shechina" (presence) as the feminine phrase. Let us examine the deeper meaning of these phrases.
MALE IMAGE: TRANSCENDENT LIGHT
God is both in the world, and above the world. He is simultaneously within us, and far above us. We use the phrase "Holy One Blessed Be He" when discussing transcendent light, the aspect of God that is beyond us. It describes the nature of Divine intervention, miracles, and communications.
Why use male imagery? The Kuzari explains that the male genital organs are external, which makes masculine reference appropriate for times when God's presence is in a revealed, "external" state.
What do we mean by revelation? God communicates by giving us the Torah, which opens our minds to His will and wisdom. And when He makes His providence visible, more is revealed.
Normally, the light would remain hidden from us because of its being above us. At the point of intervention, what would have stayed unknowable is now brought down for us to grasp.
This "visibility" can be literal as when God breaks all the rules that govern nature and show us that there is something more. An example of this would be at the Red Sea, when God is described as a "warrior." His miracles were obvious to even the most cynical eye.
God's light can also affect the vision our inner eye. For example, when the Torah was given amidst national revelation at Mount Sinai, God appeared metaphorically as a "Wise Elder."
Of course, in the most primal sense, is the light by which God created the world, as it God said on the first day: "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3).
Indeed, all of God's highly visible interventions are male imagery. This is the "Holy One Blessed Be He."
FEMALE IMAGE: PERMEATING LIGHT
God's presence is not only outside and above His creations, but is within them as well. The feminine genitals are internal and unexposed to the external eye, which is why the feminine word "Shechina" describes God's presence within each of us.
The inherent nature of the Shechina is hidden, internal, and at times silent. At other times, it is articulate through spiritual inspiration and awareness. Her presence is hard to evoke in words. In fact, the external nature of speech to a certain extent defies the internal nature of the Shechina.
The Shechina is sometimes symbolized by places in the world. In the creation narrative, the Zohar tells us that the phrase "in the Garden" refers to the Shechina. The hidden presence of God permeated the Garden of Eden. Conversely, the era of most distant Godliness was the epoch of Noah's Flood. The world had fallen to a level in which the line separating humans and animals had thinned to the point of near invisibility. The Zohar describes this state as one in which "the Shechina was pushed aside."
The inherent nature of the Shechina is hidden, internal, and at times silent.
In our world, there are places in which the spark of divinity that gives every creation life can be more deeply felt. God's presence within the human soul, referred to in the feminine gender, is far more profound than within any other creation. So too, the Land of Israel -- a deep manifestation of internal God-presence -- is in the feminine form.
Though each human being possesses a divine soul, we can fall so low that we no longer have awareness of the Shechina. The deadening effect of this unawareness is called "exile of the Shechina." She is there, but we no longer feel Her presence. Nonetheless, God is committed to being within us; the Divine Presence is described in the Zohar as the Mother hovering over Her children, never abandoning them. The spark of divinity stays within the Jew eternally as a consequence of God's covenant with His people Israel.
UNITY & RESTORATION
Yet how fragmented we are! How distant the Shechina feels to us when we are broken by the erosion of our own sensitivity to others and ourselves. How strongly we yearn to discover Her within us, and in the world, and to have a few moments of transcendence.
How do we gain closeness to God's permeating light? Where do we find the Shechina? Action is one key; feeling is the other.
In the realm of action, the Kabbalists add a fascinating phrase of meditation before prayer or performing a mitzvah. This phrase literally says that "the act we are about to perform will unify The Holy One Blessed Be He, with the Shechina." This means that the external acts which God commanded (praying, studying, performing mitzvot) will awaken His presence within us. Nothing else we do can possibly be as significant in bringing God's transcendent light into our awareness and our world.
The act we are about to perform will unify The Holy One Blessed Be He, with the Shechina.
Feeling is another key. When we allow ourselves to feel true spiritual joy and authentic yearning, the door we open is the door to the deepest aspect of ourselves, the Shechina within us. This spark can even be ignited through "wanting to want."
We strive to be worthy of performing constant acts of unification of God's attributes. Our internal light, and the external revealed light, would then be one. This is the "new light over Zion" for which we so eagerly await.
(20) Neska, July 18, 2017 7:33 PM
Nice teaching, but...and....
It has taken me such a long time to overcome the He/She when, for me It is an It...formless, just Existing. I get much more of a sense of how awesome this Force/Energy is because no matter how hard I have tried throughout my life (78bH), every time I come to the word "He" describing Hashem, I sort of screech to a halt. Shechina...formless, swirling energy/mist...I can conceive of so much better. He ... I have to readjust my thoughts to get the he out of the way. I did learn from the teaching and I do thank you. You defined it better for me to not use he....and that even rhymes. Be well.
(19) Jonathan, May 5, 2013 9:47 PM
Shechina Femininity in Talmud
Great article.
One question. "The Talmud and the mystics use the "Holy One Blessed Be He" as the masculine phrase, and "Shechina" (presence) as the feminine phrase." Do you have a source for "Shechina" actually being used in a feminine sense in the Talmud?
Cg, July 28, 2014 6:34 PM
Not sure if this helps you, Jonathan, but the word Shechina itself is feminine. Thus, it would always be used in a feminine sense.
(18) Dvirah, November 26, 2008 9:23 AM
Reply to Lindsay (24/11/2008)
Both male and female pronouns ARE used in Hebrew in prayers - see for example the "Modim Anachnu Lach" - female! - in the Amidah prayer (my Sidur has vowels). In particular, the feminine forms are used when Midat HaRachamim is referred to and the masculine when Medat HaDin is referred to.
(17) devorah malka, November 25, 2008 12:23 PM
response to martin - created in G-d's image
Another explanation that is often given is that Adam was created with the spiritual aspects of both male and female... Hava was not a "new" creation, she was taken from Adam. This concept is illustrated in the idea of man and woman each being a half that must come together in marriage to re-create the whole. With this understanding of the creation of man, we can see how it was "in G-d's own image", which has both male and female aspects.
(16) Lindsay, November 24, 2008 8:28 AM
Why isn't the pronoun used?
I think most people are unaware of these two gender aspects. I know I was. Why isn't the feminine pronoun ever used to alert people to the male and female aspects of G-d? That would make it clear to everyone, and give women more of a visible connection, even when they don't have access to a group like this. If we used "He" for the external and "She" for the internal in prayers, commentaries, etc, it would be a wonderful expression of completeness.
(15) Daniela, November 23, 2008 1:27 PM
I love reading the comments
Thank you for a wonderful article! I would also like to thank Aish for keeping all the comments intact all the way back from 2001. I'm dying to know what happened to Sheila ! (30/7/2001)
(14) Greatness, March 6, 2007 8:05 AM
This is article full of insight
This is a great article.
I read it and it was easy to understand. Thank you, greatness
(13) Merlock13, July 3, 2005 12:00 AM
I have a response to Mr. Cohen---isn't there a story that when Adam was created, he was originally an androgynous being, a hermaphrodite, but was then separated into male and female (http://www.aish.com/dating/wisdom/The_Gift_of_Singlehood.asp)? That goes further to prove that God may be "bisexual," you could say.
And of course, psychologically, there's the animus and the anima---the masculine nature of every woman and the feminine nature of every man, respectively. If everyone's in God's image, and God is both male and female, this mixture in every person makes sense. The masculine, perhaps, represents the stronger aspects of a person's---and God's---personality; the feminine, the gentler, kinder aspect (keeping in mind that these attributes are not exclusive to each gender). Anyway, thank you, Rebbetzin and Aish, for this informative article! God bless!
(12) Anonymous, June 10, 2002 12:00 AM
solopsistic naming
The reference to G*d as a male comes from the medieval university. Only males were allowed education. As a result, the word "he" became synonomous with "human" in the view of educated men. They were the only ones with the power to "name." G*d has never been a he nor a she. However, we humans need language to express ideas. Perhaps we could begin using the combination "s/he." (Just watch the mysogonists go nuts over this one!)
(11) Simon Holloway, August 28, 2001 12:00 AM
Interesting
I become very frustrated with people whenever I say "He" (in reference to Gd), and they have to quickly add in, "or She." Gd is not a "she" just as Gd is also not a "he". Gd IS, however, a "He" with a capital H. Why? Well, the answer that I normally give to that is that this is simply the way the English language is structured. Just as a French speaker will refer to a table in the feminine without implying that tables are girls, so too will English speakers refer to Gd in the masculine. Actually thinking that Gd has a body equipped with male genitalia is not only a pagan concept, but an exceptionally stupid one at that too. Thankyou for providing the kabbalistic perspective on an issue that more people should understand.
(10) Martin Cohen, August 22, 2001 12:00 AM
On the question of G-d' gender, what about the creation of man in G-d's own image?
On the question of G-d's gender, what about the creation of man in G-d's own image? In Genesis, it explains that He first made man in His own image, and then he created woman from Adam's rib (Not in G-d's image).
Thank You,
Martin Cohen
Aish.com replies: An excellent question! Being "in the image of God" does not refer to physical form. After all, God has no physical form. Rather it refers to being like God in our ability to choose - that we have free will. To explore this further look at If You Were God by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan.
(9) Zakaria Virk, August 9, 2001 12:00 AM
an inspiring article, the author has penetrating insight
I have enjoyed the article thoroughly, I could relate the Jewish teachings about the gender of God with Islamic. God will always remain 'male' though.
(8) Charles Gelfand, August 5, 2001 12:00 AM
Well written, a wonderful inspiring explanation
This explanation of the gender question
made me think.
So well written, so nice.
(7) dan goorevitch, August 4, 2001 12:00 AM
The pronoun we use to describe God is unmarked for gender in the English language. Gender markings are value-neutral and are not allegories. The Englishman of the Middle English period did not, believe me, consider Kaballah.
That said, the pious words spoken by the Rebbitzen were very beautiful and truthful in every way.
There is no contradiction in my two statements: scientific knowledge and faith are not mutually exclusive.
(6) Susan Ellman, August 1, 2001 12:00 AM
Image of God
I remember back when I was a third grader in Unitarian sunday school, the teacher asked us to draw pictures of what we thought God looked like. I objected, because I thought that if there is a God who deserves to be worshiped, S/He is the One who forbade us to draw Her/His picture. But of course a good little girl should always obey her teacher, right? I remembered that my mother said "God is Love" so I ended up drawing a picture of a boy giving a girl a flower to illustrate the concept of love. Now that I've read the rebbitzen's column, I'll try to figure out whether this was a masculine or a feminine manifestation!
P.S. It wasn't long afterward that I left the Unitarians and reclaimed my mother's long-lost Jewish heritage.
(5) George Acoff, July 31, 2001 12:00 AM
Absolutely the most beautiful, inspirational, enlightening read I've had in a long time; it is a blessing to be able to read this with even the smallest understanding.
(4) Anonymous, July 31, 2001 12:00 AM
Thanks for this article. When we fail (or refuse) to see that God is so much more than the images we use as tools for understanding Him/Her, we are worshiping our own image of God, which is the very essence of idolatry. All of us, men and women alike, were created in God's image, not the other way around. The Torah contains masculine and feminine imagery for God in order to help us understand God better. Refusing to acknowledge the significance of that imagery doesn't mean it isn't there. Thanks again for an interesting and thought-provoking article.
(3) Sheila Taube, July 30, 2001 12:00 AM
Thank you so much for your thoughtful article. I have searched a long time both internally and externally for an explanation of the gender issue. I have been so sensitive to the issue that it alienated me for many years from any belief in the external God. I will need to read this again and again to fully integrate the meanings, but I am glad to have it. I was raised by orthodox parents and never felt allowed into my "Father's religion" The Bima was no woman's land and I always longed to go up there into the "secret" world of men.
My Father didn't believe women needed to be educated. As a result I spent most of my adult life alienated from the religious life of my Jewishness. My internal world was always connected and I used the rituals allowed to my Mother as a doorway to stay in touch with the divine. As I grew older that became pale to my need. As a result I did what many Jews of my age did; I turned to other "spiritual practices", i.e. Buddist meditation, yoga, etc. After some time that too no longer served my needs. I became very involved in earth-based spiritual practices, as celebrated by Native Americans and goddess groups. I found a spirit home there for many years. But finally they too didn't fit my soul's skin. Then about 7-8 yeras ago I felt the longing to go back to my own roots. I knew that finally I needed to come home to Judaism to learn about my soul's journey. I have not found a teacher here in Phoenix yet, but I am seeking. In the meantime I read many books, and Aish articles. The Renewal movement was very instrumental in turning me back toward my roots. This response is a surprise to me. I hadn't planned to write about these issues, but I trust it will be ok with you. Thank you for the wonderful, thought-provoking article.
SST
(2) Anonymous, July 30, 2001 12:00 AM
what confirmation
I have been asking God for so long about him..wanting be on wanting...and He showed the feminine side of Him...to know both sides of The God is to know ourselves ...thank you for your willingness to see this ....Bless All who read and understand
(1) Richard Weber, July 30, 2001 12:00 AM
Gender of God
Of course God is Male ! This attempt of modern imagination to portray God as
of both sexes is unbiblical and will
soon be proven nonsense at the return of Moshiach !