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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The haroset paste eaten at the Passover Seder recalls the mortar the Israelite slaves used to build in Egypt. So why is it so sweet?

Jews read sections of the Torah each week, and these sections, known as parshiyot, inspire endless examination year after year. Each ...