Wellsprings
Of Wisdom

Wellsprings of Wisdom is a site for your soul, an island of quiet contemplation in a sea of noisy information. Pause here to refresh your soul, re-enchant your world, and renew your inner life.

Meet The Nature Rabbi

Rabbi Julie Hilton Danan is a student and teacher of Jewish wisdom, who finds her inspiration in nature as well as in ancient texts. She serves as rabbi of Seaside Jewish Community in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Rabbi Julie grew up in South Texas, has lived in Israel, and has also  served congregations in Texas, Northern California, and the Hudson Valley of New York.

Rabbi Julie was ordained through the ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal Rabbinical Program where she was a student of  the late Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, founder of the Jewish Renewal movement. Rabbi Julie holds a PhD in Hebrew Studies (Rabbinic Literature and Culture) from the University of Texas at Austin and has taught for universities and seminaries. 

Rabbi Julie loves nature photography and took the photos on this home page, as well many others throughout the site as noted. You can see more of her photos and also purchase prints and downloads on her photography site: Inspired Images

Newest Points of Interest

Browse the most recent journey points that have been added to the virtual retreat center.

Blessings for the New Year

As this New Year 5785 takes flight, may we care for our environment, spread love and compassion, and most of all, seek peace. Sending you blessings for a good and sweet new year, fill with excellent health and abundant happiness, and may your heart's prayers be...

Let Nature Guide You Into the New Year (encore video)

L'Shanah Tovah, Tikateyvu! May you be inscribed for a good and sweet New Year! We are about to embark on the Jewish New Year 5785, a day also known as the "birthday of the World," and so a day to contemplate how to honor and steward our natural environment and all its...

Spirituality at the Seashore: Recorded Class

Shalom! My latest blog post was announcing class that I taught on Spirituality at the Seashore. I taught the class twice: for ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal and for Seaside Jewish Community. Here's a video of the latter, combining nature photography, ancient...

Join Me for an Online Class of Spirituality at the Seashore!

In a sense, this whole site is about your inner landscape, how you are a part of nature, not apart from nature. I'm grateful that ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal has invited me to teach on the subject. And since I now live near the seashore, that will be my topic...

Lost a few months of posts…

Shalom! Due to a transition in my website management, several of my posts over the holiday season, plus one about recent events in Israel, have disappeared. Sorry for the inconvenience and I plan to update soon!

Be a Lightship – New Post in the Gateway of the Sea

  I just reposted "Be a Lighthouse," an invocation that I gave for Maritime Day in Lewes, Delware this May (the post was lost when my site went off line for a few weeks.)  You can find it right here! Learn more about Jewish lore and lessons of the Sea in the...

Be a Lightship

I'm sharing the Invocation that I offered at Maritime Day 2023 in Lewes, Delaware. The Overfalls is a historic lightship lovingly restored by a large crew of volunteers, that has become a celebrated Delaware landmark. Lightships were like floating lighthouses that...

Back Online!

Wellsprings of Wisdom site has been down for a few weeks due to the presence of malware. Thanks to Shaun Leber (my web designer), it's now cleaned up and back online. However, in the process, the site lost all posts and updates since March. I can't replace them all...

Jewish Environmental News and Spiritual Nature Photography

A new Jewish environmental organization, Adamah (meaning "land" )  has been built from the merger of two great organizations, the Jewish environmental powerhouse Hazon (previously merged with the Isabella Freedman retreat center) with Pearlstone retreat center. The...

Two Bishvat Tribute

  Happy New Year of Trees, Tu Bishvat! The Torah compares a person to a tree! Trees are crucial to our survival and enjoyment of life...