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

Jewish sources portray darkness as both the embodiment of death and as the wellspring of creativity.

Every act of creativity is a co-creation between the maker and God.

The record of an ancient theft clues us in to the obscured role of Jewish priestesses.

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

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

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.