Rabbi Jill Hammer

Rabbi Jill Hammer, Ph.D., is an author, educator, midrashist and ritualist. She is the Director of Spiritual Education at the Academy for Jewish Religion, a pluralistic Jewish seminary, and the co-founder of the Kohenet Institute, a program in Jewish women's spiritual leadership. She is the author of "Sisters at Sinai: New Tales of Biblical Women," "The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons" and "The Omer Calendar of Biblical Women." She lives in Manhattan with her spouse and daughter.


Articles by Rabbi Jill Hammer

Celebrating Spring

Jewish tradition is replete with legends both uplifting and ominous about the vernal equinox.

Hearing Plant Songs

What would it mean if we could hear what the plants are saying?

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

In Jewish folklore, mirrors are typically treated as portals to the spirit realm.

The Joy of Drawing Water

The ancient Sukkot ritual of the Simchat Beit Hashoevah is the joy of life itself.

The Basic Elemental

Wisdom can be born from connection to the the vast interconnected wildness in the world.

Moments of Oasis

Where can we today find respite as the ancient Hebrew did at the springs of Elim?

Dreaming of Trees

Dreams are not only central to the observance of Tu Bishvat, but to our nighttime imaginal realms.

Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation

This ancient mystical text introduced many concepts that would be more fully developed by the tradition of Kabbalah.

Running and Returning

The maze-like path of the labyrinth, leading in and out of a sacred center, echoes an ancient kabbalistic idea.

The Earth as a Source of Wonder

The Jewish practice of blessing natural phenomena awakens us to the fact that the earth is a wonder, a witness, and a spiritual mystery.