The Mother in Judaism

G_d is limitless and cannot be described. When we praise the Divine we must understand every praise falls short of His greatness. She is greater than any name or form and yet the names and forms of G_d are important. They raise our consciousness to the unlimited all-pervading: the sacred YHVH.

In Judaism G_d is understood to be both beyond masculine and feminine qualities and yet encompassing them both. The mothering aspect of the Divine has been called by many names:
Shekhinah, Matronit, the Queen, Binah, Chokhmah, Zion, Torah, Mishnah and Jerusalem.

In most Kabbalah teachings there is a distinction between the Higher Mother and the Lower Mother. The Higher Mother is refferred to as Imma or Binah (Understanding) while the Lower Mother is referred to as the Shekhinah,the Daughter, or Zion. The Higher Mother is the creator of the world while the Lower Mother is the redemptive power.