Sanctuary of the Divine Presence: Hebraic Initiation

Kabbalistic initiatory teachings for becoming a vessel for illumination, prophecy, and peace by creating an inner dwelling place for God's divine presence. This marvellous book reveals practices for self mastery and revelation based on the holy design of the first Hebrew Sanctuary, the lives of the Hebrew Prophets, and the Tree of Life. It also shows how the Tree of Life's ten sefirot correspond to the Torah's prophetic Ten Songs of Creation; to alchemical ritual practices of fire, water, air, and earth; and to specific parts of the body, emotions, and aspects of the soul. Many synagogues and churches, including the First and Second Temples of the Hebrews, follow an archetypal design first used in the Ohel Moed, or Tent of Meeting, and its sacred Tabernacle, which housed the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments.

Drawing from a wealth of sources including the Hebrew Bible, the oral Mishnaic tradition of Judaism, and 16th-century Judaic texts, Zohara Hieronimus explains how, like the Ohel Moed, we are designed to receive and reflect the divine qualities of the Creator. Exploring the kabbalistic initiatory teachings within the Chassidic tradition of Judaism and the lives and writings of the Hebrew prophets, she reveals how our physical and spiritual worlds are not separate but interdependent, one affecting the other, often in unexpected and sometimes miraculous ways. Examining the ten-part system of Kabbalah's Tree of Life as reflected in the holy design of the Hebrews' first Sanctuary, Hieronimus shows how the Tree of Life's ten sefirot correspond to the Torah's prophetic Ten Songs of Creation; to alchemical ritual practices of fire, water, air, and earth; and to specific parts of the body, emotions, and aspects of the soul.

Starting from Malchut (Kingdom) at the bottom of the Tree of Life and ascending to Keter (Crown) at the top, the author discusses related biblical and scholarly texts and traditional Hebrew practices and teachings that can lead to spiritual enlightenment, illumination, and peace, allowing each of us to become a sanctuary for God's presence through self-refinement, ritual devotion, and prayer, as practiced since biblical times.

J. Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimus (19xx-Present), D.H.L., is an award-winning radio broadcaster, social justice and environmental activist, and professional speaker. She founded the Ruscombe Mansion Community Health Center in Baltimore in 1984. The author of Kabbalistic Teachings of the Female Prophets, she lives with her husband, Robert R. Hieronimus, with whom she co-hosts 21st Century Radio, in Owings Mills, Maryland.

A student of Chassidut and Kabbalah, Zohara is a women’s instructor on the inner teachings of the Alef- Beit, (the Hebrew alphabet), and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life as seen through the lives of the seven prophetesses of Israel. Since 1977, Zohara has partnered with her husband in numerous projects in Egypt, Israel, Great Britain, and the United States.