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.

L’hitraot, for Now... 

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.

The Antidote to Kvetching

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.

The Blessing of Blessing One Another

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.

How the Book of Ruth Connects Us All Today

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.

Where the Mishnah Meets the #MeToo Movement

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?

Our Multiracial Jewish Community

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.)

Do You Really Care?

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.)

What Is Blasphemy, Anyway?

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.

"Loving the Stranger" Isn't Always Intuitive 

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.

Using Our Words to Heal, Not Hurt

On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah, a podcast presented by ReformJudaism.org.Each week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union For Reform Judaism, will offer divrei Torah (insights into the weekly Torah portion) to help open up Jewish thought and its contemporary influence on your life. He condenses 2,000 years of Jewish wisdom into just 10 minutes of modern-day commentary.There are plenty of ways to interpret Torah and we want to hear what you think. You can weigh in on this week’s Torah portion by talking to us on Twitter  @URJ or at Facebook.com/reformjudaism.

Listening to Rabbi Jacobs every week for the first few months was fine, but in the intro it says he will sometimes have a guest. With 900 congregations in the Reform Movement, there should be more guests. They say every rabbi really has one sermon to give. We’ve heard Rabbi Jacob’s sermon. How about inviting more rabbis?

Diversify to improve

As a deist who is exploring their Jewish ancestry and more about the Jewish faith and how it relations today. I find Rabbi Rick Jacobs a welcoming addition to my podcast feed weekly. He provides the Torah portion in a way this non-Jew can understand. Sometimes I have to wait till I am in the right mindset to listen, if I am stressed or distracted with work or other worries because I want to be able to reflect on the words clearly.  I look foward to more years of this podcast and more from the URJ

Wonderful insight

On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah, a podcast presented by <a href="http://ReformJudaism.org" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ReformJudaism.org</a>.<br><br>Each week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union For Reform Judaism, will offer divrei Torah (insights into the weekly Torah portion) to help open up Jewish thought and its contemporary influence on your life. He condenses 2,000 years of Jewish wisdom into just 10 minutes of modern-day commentary.<br><br>There are plenty of ways to interpret Torah and we want to hear what you think. You can weigh in on this week’s Torah portion by talking to us on Twitter  @URJ or at <a href="http://Facebook.com/reformjudaism" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook.com/reformjudaism</a>.

On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah

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.

The Jewishness of Healing

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.

Under the Sky

How do you build a world of justice, wholeness, goodness and kindness? Rabbi Jacobs offers some ideas from Parashat T'rumah.

T'rumah, Torah Portion Read on 2/13/16

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.

A Place Unlike Any Other

What can the akeidah (binding of Isaac) teach us about loving God and loving one another? In this week's Torah portion, Vayeira, Rabbi Jacobs explores the deeper meaning behind this challenging text and how it can test us, much like Abraham himself was tested, to love all of God's creations authentically and deeply.

And You Shall Love...

This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs recounts his experience studying dance while in Rabbinical School, how partaking in an interpretive dance about Abraham, Sarah and Hagar challenged him theologically and artistically. He challenges us to think how we, too, can appreciate the art of dance to tell the Jewish story.

Dancing With Our Tradition

David Broza

What’s your creative process? How do you begin? This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Parashat B'reishit, which is all about Creation and the very beginning of everything. In his conversation with special guest, musician, artist and activist David Broza, David shares how to navigate chaos and focus on what is good and what can ultimately become good, if we are willing to step up and create it. Our episode ends with David serenading us with just that message.  Want to hear more from David Broza? Visit the  for our exclusive interview with him. Be sure to  and follow him on Twitter .

Creation and Co-Existence, with Special Guest David Broza

Wonder

This week, in Parashat Chukat, we learn about the death of one of Judaism’s greatest ancestors: Miriam. Rabbi Rick Jacobs and his guest, Dr. Tsvia Walden, discuss how the strength, importance, and wisdom of women have been woven throughout our history, and how, like water, they are a necessary and valuable element of life.

 Wonder Women 

What is the real importance of what we wear? Rabbi Rick Jacobs explores the themes of Parashat T’tzaveh, this week’s Torah portion.

T'tzaveh, Torah Portion Read on 2/20/16

Does being a person of faith mean you believe in blessings and curses? Why should we always "do the right thing?" Are we rewarded or punished for what we do in the world? Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, discusses the messages in this week's Torah portion, Parashat B'chukotai.

Do we believe that good behavior brings rewards, and bad behavior brings punishment?

This week Rabbi Rick Jacobs teaches us from Parashat Tazria in the book of Leviticus, asking where we start when we need healing.

Tazria - Torah Portion Read on 4/9/16

It’s another two-parashah week, and this time we’re reading about love. The phrase “love the stranger” appears in the Torah 36 times. Why is this phrase written so often, and who is the stranger? Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, gives his take in this episode of On the Other Hand.

The Torah’s Take on Love

Do we do things because they bring us meaning, or do things have meaning because we do them?  Can your morning yoga class or walk through the park serve as a source of spiritual inspiration? Our personal choices, such as exercising,  wearing jewelry with Jewish symbols and writings, or leading creative pursuits, can lead to a more meaningful life full of significant journeys and spiritual commitment.  This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, discusses the Torah portion Naso (read on 6/18/16), and teaches about the Nazarite oath.

What Makes Life Meaningful?

What is at the center of your life and how do you keep your focus on what matters most? Parashat Ki Tisa offers insights into this timeless question, Rabbi Rick Jacobs helps us find those answers.

Ki Tisa, Torah Portion Read on 2/27/16

Rabbi Rick Jacob’s reflection on Parashah Eikev, teaches about how imperative it is that as we encounter the natural ups and downs of life, we really try to remove the layers and get to the heart of the matter. He emphasizes that we must remain open to honest emotion, compassion, love and even vulnerability.

The Heart Of The Matter

Often, we think about what actions we might've taken during trying moments in history -- but what are we doing right now? It’s not always easy to step forward. As Moses teaches us in this week’s Parashah, D'varim, and Rabbi Rick Jacobs reminds us by relating his experience at the Texas/Mexico border last week, learning to be a strong, yet fair leader may be challenging and even alienating at times, but it’s always worth it.

Raising Our Voices

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.

Mindfulness, Being Present, and Having Heart

Is there a spiritual or moral dimension to how we choose what we eat? Parashat Sh'mini from the book of Leviticus opens up a conversation about keeping kosher – Rabbi Rick Jacobs moves it along.

Sh'mini - Torah Portion Read on 4/2/16

Ten is an important number in Jewish tradition, and in this parashah we read the second telling of the Ten Commandments. Though many consider the essence of Judaism to be the Ten Commandments, they aren’t necessarily the most important of the 613 commandments. More important than being able to recite the Ten Commandments from memory is embodying the essence of those commandments and practicing them.  God tells Moses, “Go up on the high place and raise your gaze, look out,”  challenging him to look up from his everyday tasks and see beyond the present moment to the future. We can all be inspired by that challenge, and look towards a future where each of us can distill Judaism into its essence, perhaps the way Micah taught: “Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Listen to Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, discuss Parashat Va-et’chanan.

What is the Essence of Judaism?

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