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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.

Jul 30, 2018

Parashat Eikev contains the second paragraph of the Sh'ma, which is no longer read in many Reform communities. Rabbi Jacobs explains why in this episode of On the Other Hand, and explores the question: Do good things happen to people because of their obedience to sacred teachings? 


Jul 23, 2018

In Parashat Va-et'chanan, Moses prepares Joshua to take on leadership of the Jewish people. So, it’s fitting that this week, Rabbi Jacobs is joined by Rabbi Matt Green, the assistant rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, New York and director of Brooklyn Jews. They discuss new ways to engage young Jews, the...


Jul 16, 2018

Parashat D’varim is the first portion of the Book of Deuteronomy, and this year it is read just before Tishah B’Av – a day that, throughout Jewish history, has been one of tragedy and destruction. What does it mean that so many horrible events have taken place on this one particular day? Rabbi Rick Jacobs...


Jul 9, 2018

The double parashah of Matot-Mas’ei introduces the concept of cities of refuge. Today, as American lawmakers are using the bible as justification for the mistreatment of people who are seeking refuge, there is a lot to learn from Parashiyot Matot-Mas’ei. In this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs discusses...


Jul 2, 2018

Parashat Pinchas is an intense parashah, one with  an act of religious extremism—and just because it’s in the Torah, doesn’t mean it should be taken at face value. In this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs discusses what we can learn from a Torah portion that goes in a different direction than what we...