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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 31, 2017

Everybody has an opinion on whether politics should be brought to the pulpit, but according to Rabbi Jacobs, this debate was settled centuries ago. In this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs discusses haftarot – what they are, why we read them, and what they have to say about politics.


Jul 24, 2017

Kol Yisrael translates to “all of Israel.” In Parashat D’varim, when Moses speaks to kol Yisrael, he’s not speaking to a divided Jewish people: he’s speaking to them as one. It’s fitting that this year, we read Parashat D’varim in the lead up to the Israeli Supreme Court’s ruling on an egalitarian prayer...


Jul 17, 2017

The double portion of Parashat Matot-Mas’ei details the 42 stops that the Jewish people made on their journey from Egypt to the promised land. In light  of this parashah, in this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs details the journey of the Reform Judaism, and the stops along the way that contributed to who we...


Jul 10, 2017

In Parashat Pinchas, Zelophehad’s five daughters petition God. It’s the first picture that the Torah provides of radical, essential challenging of the rules, and better yet, the challenging is done by women. What kind of significance does this hold? Listen to Rabbi Rick Jacob’s take on it in this episode of On the...


Jul 3, 2017

This week, Rabbi Jacobs welcomes singer/songwriter Neshama Carlebach. They discuss Parashat Balak¸ which songs speak to their souls, and what it’s like to travel the world as a Jewish singer. Plus, she shares a melody about gratitude and moving forward from pain.