The Bodies of God

This reflection is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Haftorah Series. The rest of the content can be found here: https://www.sefaria.org/groups/FHJC-Haftorah-Series .

The "yigdal" might be one of our most recognizable hymns, being sung in our synagogues every Friday night as services wrap up. We are not sure who wrote it, but it could very well go back to the 13th century!
It has thirteen lines, each line expressing one of Maimonide's "13 Principles of Faith."
Maimonides was a giant of scholarship, and what he accomplished with his Mishnah Torah, his all-encompassing code of Israelite and Jewish life, is outright mind-boggling.

With this, it is unsurprising that his 13 Principles have utterly dominated Jewish-philosophy and theology for nearly a thousand years!
It can therefore come as quite the shocker when someone picks up the TaNaKh and just starts reading; for many of his principles seem to be run counter to what it says in our most beloved of texts itself.
Let's look at just one; The Principle formulated by line number 3:

A Principle of Faith

סידור אשכנז, שבת, מעריב, יגדל

אֵין לו דְמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינו גוּף

Siddur Ashkenaz, Shabbat, Maariv, Yigdal

He has no semblance of a body, nor a body at all.

One does not have to read too far into the TaNaKh to realize that, at least according to our Israelite ancestors, the Almighty did, indeed, have a body!
Consider the following verses, all from the earliest accounts of creation, and humankind's first moments:

בראשית ב׳

(ז) וַיִּיצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם עָפָר֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה וַיִּפַּ֥ח בְּאַפָּ֖יו נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים וַֽיְהִ֥י הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה׃

Genesis 2

(7) YHWH-God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

The Almighty starts out as a sculpter, and then performs mouth-to-mouth resucitation.
Requirements: Hands, mouth, and lungs.

בראשית ב׳:ח׳

(ח) וַיִּטַּ֞ע יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים גַּן־בְעֵ֖דֶן מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיָּ֣שֶׂם שָׁ֔ם אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָצָֽר׃

Genesis 2:8

(8) YHWH-God, planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom He had formed.

The Almighty is now a farmer.
Requirements: Yet again, hands.

בראשית ג׳

(ח) וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶת־ק֨וֹל יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּגָּ֖ן לְר֣וּחַ הַיּ֑וֹם וַיִּתְחַבֵּ֨א הָֽאָדָ֜ם וְאִשְׁתּ֗וֹ מִפְּנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים בְּת֖וֹךְ עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן׃

Genesis 3

(8) They heard the sound of YHWH-God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from YHWH-God among the trees of the garden.

The Almighty is making noise as He wanders around the garden, seeking out the human-couple, as they hide themselves due to having disobeyed His one command and eaten of the forbidden fruit.
Requirements: Feet.

Hide-and-Seek

בראשית ג׳:ט׳

(ט) וַיִּקְרָ֛א יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־הָֽאָדָ֑ם וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה׃

Genesis 3:9

(9) YHWH-God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

The Almighty seems to despair of His search, and calls out to the couple, asking them to show themselves.
Requirements: Vocal chords, mouth-parts

The Torah's depiction of God in a corporeal sense does not end with creation. Later on, Abraham is approached by what he thinks to be three men.

Consider how this chapter begins and ends:

An Unexpected Party

בראשית י״ח

(א) וַיֵּרָ֤א אֵלָיו֙ יְהוָ֔ה בְּאֵלֹנֵ֖י מַמְרֵ֑א וְה֛וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב פֶּֽתַח־הָאֹ֖הֶל כְּחֹ֥ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ (ב) וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלֹשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ לִקְרָאתָם֙ מִפֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֔הֶל וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ אָֽרְצָה׃

...

(לג) וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ יְהוָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר כִּלָּ֔ה לְדַבֵּ֖ר אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֑ם וְאַבְרָהָ֖ם שָׁ֥ב לִמְקֹמֽוֹ׃

Genesis 18

(1) YHWH appeared to him [Abraham] by the terebinths of Mamre when he was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot.

(2) Looking up, he saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them.

...

(33) When YHWH had finished speaking to Abraham, He departed; and Abraham returned to his place.

What happens in-between is Abraham's inviting these three men into his tent and treating them to a luxurious meal. The Almighty fits in with humans so well that Abraham does not even realize, until one of them begins to speak prophetically, before Whom he might standing!

If you read Scripture with an attunement to this, you'll see that the TaNaKh is filled with wonderous, mysterious, and poetic descriptions of the body of God.
While Maimonides claims that there is no such thing, all of the prophets and narrators of the Bible seem to think differently.
However, there are some pretty major differences in conceptions of God's body throughout the TaNaKh. These differences include:

The nature of God's body. (What is made up of? Physical stuff like what we have? Or something completely otherworldly?)
Where His body is located. (In the Temple? In the heavens? Sometimes, here, sometimes there?)
How much a human may approach God's body, and how much contact there can be before the person will be injured, forever changed, or even perish.

(which stories or passages can you think of that weigh in on these questions?)
From chapter to chapter within the Five Books of Moses alone there is lack of agreement; let alone factoring in the other 19 books of the TaNaKh!

Amongst contemporary Bible scholars, there is the opinion that there are primarily three, or maybe even four very different views as to these questions of God's body in the TaNaKh. One view is God's natural, "human" body, as portrayed in the verses from Genesis above.
Another one is also a "humanoid" body of sorts, but BIGGER, on a Super-human level. Some call this the "Liturgical Body."
One instance in Scripture where this can be seen is in what might one of the most cryptic, mystifying and evocative passages of all, occurring shortly after the giving of the 10 Commandments:

שמות כ״ד

(ט) וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֑ן נָדָב֙ וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים מִזִּקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (י) וַיִּרְא֕וּ אֵ֖ת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְתַ֣חַת רַגְלָ֗יו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה֙ לִבְנַ֣ת הַסַּפִּ֔יר וּכְעֶ֥צֶם הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לָטֹֽהַר׃ (יא) וְאֶל־אֲצִילֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֖ח יָד֑וֹ וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ׃ (ס) (יב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה עֲלֵ֥ה אֵלַ֛י הָהָ֖רָה וֶהְיֵה־שָׁ֑ם וְאֶתְּנָ֨ה לְךָ֜ אֶת־לֻחֹ֣ת הָאֶ֗בֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה֙ וְהַמִּצְוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתַ֖בְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָֽם׃

Exodus 24

(9) Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascended [Mount Sinai]; (10) and they saw the God of Israel: Under His feet there was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity.

(11) Yet He did not raise His hand against the leaders of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

I get shivers when I read these verses; Every single time.
They saw the God of Israel.
(can you imagine???)

There's a wild theory that the Israelites were somehow looking upward through the Temple floor, which was a translucent sapphire.
One major finding which gave rise to this idea was the excavation of an ancient Syro-Hittite Temple (called the Ain Dara Temple) which stood between 1,300 BCE until 740 BCE, making it a contemporary of Solomon's Temple.
In their set-ups, there are many parallels, including floor plan, size, and decorations.
The most striking feature of all of the Ain Dara Temple are the remaining massive footprints of whatever god it once housed.
Take a look at these pictures:

Another one is less "humanoid" than the above two. But it is still arguably a body, nevertheless. The term that the Priestly sources use for this is kavod (כבוד).
In English, this is generally translated as Honor. But that's not quite the way some of the major authors in the TaNaKh use this term. Consider the following passages:

שמות מ׳

(לג) וַיָּ֣קֶם אֶת־הֶחָצֵ֗ר סָבִיב֙ לַמִּשְׁכָּ֣ן וְלַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וַיִּתֵּ֕ן אֶת־מָסַ֖ךְ שַׁ֣עַר הֶחָצֵ֑ר וַיְכַ֥ל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶת־הַמְּלָאכָֽה׃ (פ) (לד) וַיְכַ֥ס הֶעָנָ֖ן אֶת־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃ (לה) וְלֹא־יָכֹ֣ל מֹשֶׁ֗ה לָבוֹא֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֔ד כִּֽי־שָׁכַ֥ן עָלָ֖יו הֶעָנָ֑ן וּכְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה מָלֵ֖א אֶת־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽן׃

Exodus 40

(33) When Moses had finished the work [of the Tabernacle], (34) the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the kavod of YHWH filled the Tabernacle.

(35) Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting, because the cloud had settled upon it and the kavod of YHWH filled the Tabernacle.

What do you think? Can this kavod, however we translate it, be yet another conception of the a body of God?
In the Haftorah which we'll read on Shavuot, Ezekiel chapter 1, we get yet a another Biblical conception of the body of God, which is undoubtedly the wildest of all:
The Cosmic

The Almighty is not seated in the heavens, but completely above and beyond them!
Mark Smith, a well-known contemporary scholar of Bible and ancient history, puts it thusly:
An allusion to this cosmic body is found in the rhetorical question posed by the anonymous prophet in Isa 40:12: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and gauged the heavens with a span?"
The answer is God; this is the divine hand that is so large that it can take in the cosmic waters and the heavens, and it suggests that God's body is larger than both.
---from Mark Smith's The Three Bodies of God in the Hebrew Bible (2015), page 482 .

So with that, let's take a look at Ezekial and see what his visions had in store for him:

The Heavens Opened

יחזקאל א׳

(א) וַיְהִ֣י ׀ בִּשְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה בָּֽרְבִיעִי֙ בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֣ה לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ וַאֲנִ֥י בְתֽוֹךְ־הַגּוֹלָ֖ה עַל־נְהַר־כְּבָ֑ר נִפְתְּחוּ֙ הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וָאֶרְאֶ֖ה מַרְא֥וֹת אֱלֹהִֽים׃

Ezekiel 1

(1) In the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, when I was in the community of exiles by the Chebar Canal, the heavens opened and I saw visions of God.

Already, right from the start, we know we're in for a wild ride, being a far-cry from any Divine conception experienced previously. For Ezekiel, God doesn't "come down," but the heavens themselves "open right up."
The next 27 verses are an absolute EXPLOSION of sounds, colors, sights, and images; which is what one would probably expect given the introductory verse above.
Instead of including examples from the rest of the chapter, just take a look at these four attempts to portray exactly what Ezekiel tries to explain he is looking at:

Personally, I love the idea that the nature of God's body seems to be one of those unresolved, ongoing debates, spanning hundreds of generations.
For me, this speaks to the idea that God is so beyond anything our senses can ever fully grasp, or that we can conceive of. When He wants be, that is. Other times, He might be more, say, down-to-Earth and personable; Approachable, even.
Which of the above conceptions do you find the most compelling? Do you see God as more Grandiose and Transcendent? Or perhaps more immediate and familiar? Or does it even change for you, depending on the situation?