The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons

by Jill Hammer

Finalist, 2006 NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD in the Contemporary Jewish Life and Practice category
Throughout the ages, Jews have connected legends to particular days of the Hebrew calendar. Abraham’s birth, the death of Rachel, and the creation of light are all tales that are linked to a specific day and season. The Jewish Book of Days invites readers to experience the connection between sacred story and nature’s rhythms, through readings designed for each and every day of the year. These daily readings offer an opportunity to live in tune with the wisdom of the past while learning new truths about the times we live in today. Using the tree as its central metaphor, The Jewish Book of Days is divided into eight chapters of approximately forty-five days each. These sections represent the tree's stages of growth—seed, root, shoot, sap, bud, leaf, flower, and fruit—and also echo the natural cadences of each season. Each entry has three a biblical quote for the day; a midrash on the biblical quote or a Jewish tradition related to that day; and commentary relating the text to the cycles of the year. The author includes an introduction that analyzes the different months and seasons of the Hebrew calendar and explains the textual sources used throughout. Appendixes provide additional material for leap years, equinoxes, and solstices. A section on seasonal meditations offers a new way to approach the divine every day.

Genres: Judaism, Jewish, Religion, Judaica, Nonfiction, Spirituality

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Jill Hammer is a celebrated author, scholar, poet, rabbi, ritualist and dreamworker. The Moonstone Covenant, forthcoming in fall 2024, is her first work of fantasy. Like some of her characters, she has a deep love of books, trees, water, and mysterious journeys. She is also the author of Undertorah: An Earth-Based Kabbalah of Dreaming, Return to the Place: The Magic, Meditation, and Mystery of Sefer Yetzirah, The Hebrew Priestess: Ancient and New Visions of Jewish Women’s Spiritual Leadership (with Taya Shere), The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons, The Omer Calendar of Biblical Women, Sisters at Sinai: New Tales of Biblical Women, and The Book of Earth and Other Mysteries. She lives with her family in Manhattan. You can learn more about her and her books at themoonstonecovenant.net or jillhammer.net.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still reading this book - as I move into a more spiritually aware life, this book has brought me a lot of food for thought, so to speak. It's not something you sit and read cover to cover, but rather pick up, read a day, come back in a couple days, read a day - or create a morning ritual and read and ponder before beginning your day in service of others.

[Morgan McGuire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a calendar in book form, giving a one-page midrash per day about the significance of that day [and month] in the Jewish calendar. It is perhaps best read over the course of a year.

The agenda and tone is unapologetically modern reform and rooted in Talmud, kaballah, and modern writing as well as Torah. God is presented more-or-less one with nature (especially trees) and multigendered, leaning perhaps more female on balance.

The emphasis is on interpretation of Jewish cultural context for natural cycles, as a companion book for living a spiritual Jewish life, independent of specific religious practice.

[Donna Herrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing research

Sometimes the passages raised more questions than they supplied answers. I wanted to go to the referenced sources, but many times they are out of print or behind scholarly paywalls. I loved trying to make an encyclopedia of Jewish women to use as role models.