Judaism’s entire conception of prayer began with a woman’s intimate, emotional and personal conversation with God. It is therefore fitting to discuss the Tikunei haZohar, which is the most popular work of the medieval Jewish Kabbalah, with respect to one of its most ardent, modern-day supporters, a woman named Sandra Gering.

When people discuss the Kabbalah, they often are referring to the mystical movement that interprets the Torah. They are referring to the mystical teachings of the translation and interpretation of the sacred texts themselves. The Zohar understands God as the light force of Creation that is utterly transcendent and at the same time wholly immanent in our world.

Although the Kabbalah is most associated with Judaism, it’s certainly not exclusive to Jews. On November 4, 2019 at the Vatican, Sandra Gering presented Pope Francis with an artistic replica of the Tikunei ha Zohar.

Why do you think that Pope Francis accepted your gift of the Zohar?

Kabbalah teaches that the Light of the Zohar will bring the Final Redemption or the time when pain, suffering and death will be removed from the world. There will be unity of all religions in Jerusalem, and it will be a time of peace, the world will be conducted with justice and mercy for all people.

Can you describe the artwork surrounding the sacred texts of the Tikunei haZohar?

The beautiful Aramaic texts were printed on specially chosen silver paper, it was hand-bound by bookbinders, the cover wrapped in silver leather with the Tree of Life represented by 70 Led lights to depict the 70 corrections a soul must make before reaching Nirvana. The Tablets surrounding the sacred texts give the illusion of Moses and the Ten Commandments. The block of aluminum was carved into Hebrew letters from the book of Genesis spelling out Light through a computer-based process in Zurich, Switzerland. I wanted to surround the sacred texts written 4000 years ago with 21st century art to show that the messages the Tikunei haZohar brings forward are so relevant in our time.

In addition to The Vatican Libraries, where else have you placed and gifted the Tikunei haZohar?

When producing this edition, I decided upon making four of the artistic versions of this Zohar. I have gifted #1 of the editions to The Morgan Library and Museum in my beloved city where I have lived since 1987 and had my gallery for 30 years. #2 of the editions is in Rome at The Vatican Libraries. #3 was gifted to the Special Collections of the East Wing Library of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Washington, DC is my place of birth and where my mom was born as well, dad was born in the neighboring city of Baltimore, Maryland.

I conceived of this project in 2014 and have always dreamt of gifting #4 of the editions to The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, but sadly they have refused my gift four times. I also tried to gift #4 to The Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi but they also refused the gift. It is my hope that in the future The Israel Museum will accept my gift and share the exhibition of this significant book and the art surrounding it with The Louvre in Abu Dhabi.

Tell me about the Kabbalah exhibit and how it came about?

In 2014, I learned of the book Kabbalah in Art and Architecture written by the architect Alexander Gorlin. I obtained the book and loved the information researched by Alexander and asked if we could mount an exhibition in the gallery during the summer of 2015 including the artists who had studied Kabbalah. We titled the exhibit Light and the Space of the Void. Some of the artists and architects included were Paulus Ricius, Gates of Light, 1516, Daniel Buren, Peter Eisenman, Steven Holl, Anselm Kiefer, Mark Rothko, Kenneth Nolan to name a few.

Curators from Vienna and Amsterdam visited the exhibition and from this exhibition a much more comprehensive exhibit developed entitled, Kabbalah. Kabbalah was mounted in The Jüdisches Museum Wien and the The Joods Historisch Museum in Amsterdam.

One week before my fifth grandchild, a girl, was born in July, 2021, I received an email requesting a loan of the Tikunei haZohar for exhibition in Moscow, March-June, 2022. The title of the exhibit is Kabbalah, Mysteries of the Creation. The name of the museum is The Private Institution of Culture, “Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center”. So, now the Zohar will bring Light and energy to an area where is needed.

What do you want the museum goers to walk away with after viewing the Tikunei haZohar?

I am certain that the Light emanating from The Tree of Life on its cover and the power of the words within the pages of the Tikunei haZohar will lift the consciousness of all who view the splendor of its Light. It will be a time of great joy.

In your dedication of the Tikunei haZohar you say: “With the energy of Moses; “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them….” (Jeremiah 31:8) with supplications assuredly, to uphold the verse; “but with great compassion will I gather you.” (Isaiah 54:7) What does this mean?

At the age of three, I can remember having a dream and when I awoke to think about it, it brought me great happiness. Throughout the years of my life, I have asked over and over again for the dream to reappear, and some nights it does happily.

I was lying on a beach near the ocean, I could hear the sound of the waves. I rose from the sand and looked around me, there was no one. I knew at that moment that I must find and gather all souls together in unity and great joy. Unknowingly at that moment, I had found my purpose in life and realized it when I began studying the Kabbalah.

And you also have dedicated the sacred texts to women around the globe of every race, religion and creed?

Yes, it says in the Zohar that women will lead in the Age of Aquarius to show the leadership of the world the scales of Truth that through unconditional love and judgement accompanied by mercy, unity in all parts of the world will come to fruition.

Within the pages of the Tikunei haZohar I have placed a beautiful drawing gifted to me of mother and child. There is no stronger bond than that of a mother and child.

After the Moscow exhibition, I will bring the last piece of my edition of four to my home in NYC. There it will stay until its energy will be needed in another place in our world.

It would be an honor to have my three granddaughters join me in gifting the last of my edition.