Images: Yarmukian Goddess, Sha’ar HaGolan, Northern Israel ca 6400 BCE (L)
Goddess Inanna/Ishtar on an Akkadian Empire seal, 2350 BCE, modern day Iraq (R)

The Sacred Feminine in Judaism:
An In-Depth Exploration
A Four Part Series

What do we mean by the "Sacred Feminine?"

Who is the Divine Feminine in Judaism and who were her precursors before we became the Jewish people?

We have numerous references to the presence of the Goddess Asherah in the ancient Temple, yet most Jews today would roundly deny, and even be shocked at the notion of worshiping a female divinity. The Shekhinah as Divine Presence is central to Jewish mysticism, yet many if not most Jews are unfamiliar with the specifically female aspect of G’d.  

In this series, in which we offer varying perspectives, we will explore the pre-Hebraic, pre-Judaic Goddesses of the Ancient Near East and how they embodied the Sacred Feminine; the Hebrew Goddesses and their presence in the Biblical text, and the Shekhinah in ancient and modern Jewish mysticism. The series will conclude with an experiential session exploring the presence and meaning of the Sacred Feminine in our own lives and psyches.

Session 2: Hebrew Goddesses and the Sacred Feminine in Biblical Text

Led by Shoshana Fershtman

“It is from the Biblical sources that we know the names of the three goddesses who were worshipped by the ancient Hebrews down to the days of the Babylonian exile: Asherah, Astarte, and the Queen of Heaven, who was probably identical with Anath.” (Raphael Patai, The Hebrew Goddess.) In this class we will explore the Sacred Feminine in the Biblical texts, from the Ancient Hebrew Goddess to Her Presence in the Zohar as Shekhinah.

Shoshana Fershtman, JD, PhD, is a Jungian analyst and psychologist. She is a member analyst and teaches at the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, and serves on the spiritual leadership team and Tzedek social justice arm of Congregation Ner Shalom. Her book, The Mystical Exodus in Jungian Perspective: Transforming Trauma and the Wellsprings of Renewal was published in 2021. For more info, see www.shoshanafershtman.com