In the Jewish mystical tradition it is said that on the Sabbath "a queenly visitor entered even the humblest abode, which, due to her presence, was transformed into a royal palace, with the table set, the candles burning and the wine waiting." This queenly visitor was identical with Shekinah, the "feminine, visible, audible manifestation of God's presence on earth." I don't know how many people around the Sabbath table today believe that God, embodied in female form, has been with them on the Sabbath.
— Kim Chernin, In My Father's Garden