Beraishis 9M Closeness to God on Earth עיקר שכינה בתחתונים

…וְיִשְׁכֹּן בְּאָהֳלֵי שֵׁם…

… He will dwell in the tents of Shem…

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Other religions teach what man must do to attain closeness to God in the next world. Judaism teaches what we must do to so that God draws near in this world.

In Beraishis Rabbah, 19:7 we are taught the great principle of עיקר שכינה בתחתונים. The Shechina, the Divine Presence, resides primarily on earth.

The Torah teaches us “ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם“. “Let them make of their lives on earth a sanctuary so that I will dwell in their midst.”

The purpose of the Torah and the mission of Israel is to perfect the world through the reign of God ie. through carrying out God’s Will in our lives. (This is an obvious reference to the words we pray three times daily “לתקן עולם במלכות שקי” GS).

(Hirsch adds here: That is why all the promises of the Torah relate to this world ie. children, prosperity, peace, etc.)

The Torah’s ideal is שכינה. Wherever man sanctifies his home and his camp God fills him with rapture and allows him to experience closeness to God in this world that is מעין עולם הבא. This ideal is not unique to the Jewish people but will ultimately be reached by all of mankind.

But the closeness to God the Torah seeks is grounded. Man is not to “lose himself in God”, to “merge with the divine”. The word שכינה, the Divine Presence, is rooted in the word שכן, neighbor. Just as a person allows the space allotted to his neighbor, so too God wants man to live an active life on earth in man’s space; the earth.

The Talmud teaches us (סוכה דף ה) מעולם לא ירדה שכינה למטה מעשרה, the Shechina never came down lower than 10 tefachim. The ten tefachim are where man is active and only where man’s activity ends does the realm of the Shechina begin.

God draws near to man but He does not encroach upon the human sphere. Man is allowed to develop in accordance with his own free will, as a man on earth.

Judaism doesn’t teach that man should get lost in God, losing his mind in ecstasy. That would result in thinking that there is nothing for a person to do. All that’s expected of him is to feel close to God and God will act through him. Judaism wants man to take action.  It requires man to have a composed mind, making use of his intellect and the freedom God gave him. Our actions become sanctified based on clear thinking, faithfully serving God. That is what makes us worthy of God’s closeness.

Beraishis 9:27
pages 250-251