On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah

Tune in weekly to hear Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union For Reform Judaism, offer divrei Torah (insights into the weekly Torah portion) to help open up Jewish thought and its contemporary influence on your life.

L’hitraot, for Now... 06/15/2020

L’hitraot, for Now... After four years of bringing you a new episode nearly every week, this podcast is taking a little break. Listen to this episode to learn more about our hiatus and where to find us in the meantime. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14815568

The Antidote to Kvetching 06/08/2020

The Antidote to Kvetching Most of us today aren’t tasked with wandering through the desert, like the ancient Israelites were... but we still find plenty to kvetch about! What if, instead of focusing on small annoyances, we turned to community-building and togetherness? This episode first aired in May 2018. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14686691

The Blessing of Blessing One Another 06/01/2020

The Blessing of Blessing One Another Parashat Naso, the longest of all the Torah portions, features a famous blessing – but what does it mean for us to bless one another? Is it a power reserved for clergy, or is it something any of us can do? In this episode, which first aired in May 2017, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about what kind of actions constitute a blessing and who, exactly, we have the ability to bless. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14522861

How the Book of Ruth Connects Us All Today 05/27/2020

How the Book of Ruth Connects Us All Today Chag Sameach and welcome to a special Shavuot edition of On the Other Hand! On this week’s holiday episode, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about Ruth, her connection to this unique Jewish festival, and what her story of unity and bridge-building means for us as we celebrate Shavuot today. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14579633

Where the Mishnah Meets the #MeToo Movement 05/25/2020

Where the Mishnah Meets the #MeToo Movement Parashat Naso includes a passage about the sotah, the "errant woman" who is accused of adultery. It's a complex and problematic part of ancient Judaism, says Rabbi Rick Jacobs, so sometimes it's deliberately avoided. In this episode, though, which originally aired in June 2019, we deliberatly dive into figuring out what it means to us today. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14522834

Our Multiracial Jewish Community 05/18/2020

Our Multiracial Jewish Community The Torah commands us to take a census of the “whole Israelite community” – but who does the counting, and who, exactly, is counted? In this episode, which first aired in June 2019, Rabbi Rick Jacobs reflects on the Jewish community's chronic undercounting Jews of Color, as reported by a recent study. What does it mean to make equitable choices, and what will it take to truly count the entirety of our community? /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14405123

Do You Really Care? 05/11/2020

Do You Really Care? How much do you care about the environment? Yourself? Other people? Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about our fundamental responsibility to care for God’s earth and attend to the neediest among us. It’s not a newfangled, 21st-century idea; it’s literally what our age-old biblical text calls for. So how do we do it? (This episode originally aired in May 2017.) /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14310086

What Is Blasphemy, Anyway? 05/04/2020

What Is Blasphemy, Anyway? In ancient times, crimes of blasphemy were punished by stoning - but what does it really mean today to blaspheme? Rabbi Rick Jacobs explains the biblical prohibition against Chilul HaShem, desecrating God's name, and talks about what we are called to do to combat it. (This episode originally aired in May 2019.) /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14208797

"Loving the Stranger" Isn't Always Intuitive 04/27/2020

"Loving the Stranger" Isn't Always Intuitive Let's talk about love: Torah talks about three kinds of love - and in fact, the phrase “love the stranger” appears in the Torah 36 times. Why is it written so often? Who is "the stranger," anyway? And who might be the strangers in our own lives? In this episode, which originally aired in April 2017, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about what it means to move from strangeness to equality to, finally, closeness and love. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/14082617

Using Our Words to Heal, Not Hurt 04/20/2020

Using Our Words to Heal, Not Hurt For many Jews, Parashiyot Tazria and M’tzora are perhaps the most nerve-inducing of all the Torah portions. After all, none of us is exactly eager to discuss leprosy - or the fact that, in our ancient Jewish texts, illness is often seen as a metaphor for punishment for sin. In this episode, which originally aired in April 2017, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about the very real, important lessons to come out of these two portions, including the reminder to us all to be careful with our speech - especially gossip. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13985720

Go Ahead, Be an Innovator 04/13/2020

Go Ahead, Be an Innovator Parashat Sh'mini tells of the deaths of two men who are though to have been punished for the sin was innovation - but today, don't we look at innovation as a positive thing? In this episode, originally released in March 2019, Rabbi Rick Jacobs says, "Innovators in Jewish life have always had serious pushback." Why? And what can we do about it? He encourages us to think about how we can continue to reboot and rekindle Jewish life. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13904063

A Passover of Hope 04/06/2020

A Passover of Hope Why is this Passover not like all other Passovers? How can we observe this festival meaningfully and connected to one another during this COVID-19 pandemic? How can we use Passover’s plagues to inspire us to combat the literal and figurative plagues that infect humanity today? This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs shares his insight and advice for making this year’s Passover one that is unique yet equally fulfilling and hopeful. To learn more about how to plan creatively for this year’s festivities, visit ReformJudaism.org/homeseder and URJ.org/covidresources. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13823513

Following Their Lead 03/30/2020

Following Their Lead Jewish wisdom says a child’s Torah education should start with the Book of Leviticus. As we read its second portion, Parashat Tzav, we share an episode that first ran in 2018, just after a school shooting in Parkland, FL, killed 17 people and injured 17 more. Rabbi Rick Jacobs stresses the importance of fighting for and with our young people, raising up the Jewish teens who, amid tragedy, mobilized for gun violence prevention. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13715075

The Laws of Leviticus, Choice, and A.J. Jacobs, the Gratitude Expert 03/23/2020

The Laws of Leviticus, Choice, and A.J. Jacobs, the Gratitude Expert How can we find modern meaning in ancient rituals? From our "greatest hits" collection comes this episode from March 2019, featuring Rabbi Rick Jacobs in conversation with acclaimed author A.J. Jacobs, perhaps best known for his book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally As Possible. Together, they talk Parashat Vayikra, the evolution of Jewish tradition, and adopting an attitude of gratitude. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13632161

Special Episode: Announcing a New Format, Coming Soon! 03/23/2020

Special Episode: Announcing a New Format, Coming Soon! Four years after launching our weekly Torah podcast, we’re getting ready to shake things up a little! Exciting new changes are coming to On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah – so take a quick listen to this special announcement for a sneak peek of what to expect in the days and weeks to come. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13632041

Three United Faiths, One Divine Presence 03/16/2020

Three United Faiths, One Divine Presence In Vayak’heil-P’kudei, we see that God was so pleased with the Israelites’ sacred space (the Tabernacle) that God’s own presence descended upon them as they wandered through the desert. This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs is joined by Rabbi Aryeh Azriel of the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, NE who discusses how the Initiative came to be, how he co-created this “sacred space” with local Muslim and Christian leaders, and how our Reform congregations can do the same with other local faith communities. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13523537

Slowing Ourselves to Anger 03/09/2020

Slowing Ourselves to Anger What is the Jewish approach to anger? How do we deal with it in a way that’s healthy? This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs explores Parashah Ki Tisa and explores God’s anger toward the Israelites for their idolatry as well as the impact that our own anger can have on ourselves. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13432067

Let Your Eternal Light Shine 03/02/2020

Let Your Eternal Light Shine This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs takes a look at parashat T’tzaveh, in which the Israelites are commanded to create the ner tamid (eternal light) in the Tabernacle. He wonders: How is light symbolic in the Jewish tradition, and how can we best shine our own light toward others? /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13341308

Building Our Own Tabernacle Together 02/24/2020

Building Our Own Tabernacle Together In this week’s Parashah, the Israelites contribute whatever they can to Moses in order to help build the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Join Rabbi Rick Jacobs and special guest Andrés Spokoiny (President and CEO of the Jewish Funders Network - https://www.jfunders.org) as they discuss how we, similarly, can work together to build something sacred to benefit and support others for generations to come. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13218890

Mindfulness, Being Present, and Having Heart 02/17/2020

Mindfulness, Being Present, and Having Heart What does it mean to be "mindful," to truly slow down and pay attention to what's happening in our daily lives? This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs explores this question through Parashat Misphatim when God beckons Moses to not only come up to a mountain, but to also "be" there. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13034096

Commanded to Honor, Compelled to Care 02/10/2020

Commanded to Honor, Compelled to Care In Parashat Yitro, we are instructed to honor our parents, in part so that we may live longer lives. Rabbi Rick Jacobs takes a look at this commandment and wonders: What does honoring our parents mean, especially as our parents grow older, or if our relationships with them are complicated? /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/13034066

Lifting Hands and Sharing Power 02/03/2020

Lifting Hands and Sharing Power This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Parashat B'shalach and the powerful image of Aaron and Hur lifting Moses' hands as he grew weary. How can this story inspire us to lift our own hands in prayer and in strengthening one another, and how can we share leadership equitably the way our patriarchs did in this story? /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12874214

The Sacred Pursuit for Reparations 01/27/2020

The Sacred Pursuit for Reparations This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs takes a look at Parashat Bo and the behaviors of the Israelites during the Exodus from Egypt. He asks how we can use this story's moral framework, and our Jewish texts to understand and contextualize the idea of reparations owed to the descendants of kidnapped and enslaved Africans in the United States today. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12874172

Reaching the Promised Land 01/20/2020

Reaching the Promised Land This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Parashat Va'eira and reflects on the commonalities between revolutionary leaders like Moses and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and how important it is that we fight tirelessly against injustice. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12779969

Born to Lead, Born to Serve 01/13/2020

Born to Lead, Born to Serve This week, as we move into the book of Exodus, we transition from learning about Joseph to learning about another Jewish leader: Moses. Rabbi Rick Jacobs wonders what it means to be a Jewish leader, and how leaders like Joseph, Moses, and others can inspire us to lead and serve in our communities today. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12594188

The Jewishness of Healing 01/06/2020

The Jewishness of Healing In the closing portion of the book of Genesis, Joseph finds out his father is ill. Rabbi Jacobs, reflecting on his own experience with family illness, invites us to better understand what it means to "heal" others through our actions and our words, bringing us closer both to the Divine and to one another. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12594164

Formed in the Wilderness 12/30/2019

Formed in the Wilderness This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs sits with Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of The Foundation for Jewish Camp, to discuss the impact and benefit that Jewish summer camp has on so many young people. They make a connection between Joseph’s relationship with his brother Judah, from this week's Torah portion, and how that connects to the sense of growth that summer camp fosters. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12533918

The Meaning of Our Miracle 12/23/2019

The Meaning of Our Miracle As this week’s Torah portion focuses on Joseph and his brothers, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses another band of “brothers,” the Maccabees, and how their victory and the miracle of the oil can inspire us to shine our light on the rest of the world. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12470603

Under the Sky 12/16/2019

Under the Sky In this week's Torah portion, as Joseph searches for his brothers, he also seeks the shalom (peace) that comes with rebuilding their relationship. How can we, too, find shalom through connecting with one another? Rabbi Jacobs sits down with Israeli musician David Broza, an intercultural bridge-builder himself, to answer this question and learn about how he found his shalom through music and connecting with others. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12268583

A Place Unlike Any Other 12/09/2019

A Place Unlike Any Other In Parashah Vayishlach, we find Jacob transforming a site into a holy and special place. Rabbi Rick Jacobs wonders what it means to make a place special and how we ascribe meaning to places near and dear to us. /episode/index/show/reformjudaism/id/12268463

On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah

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