On The Other Hand: Ten Minutes Of Torah

This week we read Parashat Nitzavim, and we ring in the year 5780. Join us as Rabbi Rick Jacobs shares memories of Rosh HaShanah and enjoying the unique holiday customs and rituals within our Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities, and discusses the sweetness of sharing them with each other. Shanah Tovah!

In this week’s Parashah, Ki Tavo, we are told to follow the commandments and uphold our covenants, as there will be blessings if we do, but curses if we do not. Rabbi Rick Jacobs reflects on the various types of covenants that we experience and agree to throughout our lives, and the responsibilities, and indeed blessings, that come with keeping our word to each other, to God and to ourselves.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Ki Teitzei, his Bar Mitzvah portion, which mentions the ethical constraints and restrictions that a person must consider, when going into war. Joining the conversation is this week’s guest, Rear Admiral Rabbi Harold L. Robinson, the highest ranking Jewish Chaplain in the history of the United States military, as they reflect on, among other things, how one’s values are tested, when faced with possibly endangering yourself, at the risk of doing what’s right.

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat Shof’tim, Moses tells the people of Israel to select judges for every city. Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses the standards that Moses set for those judges, how they are still relevant today, and what we must we do when those standards aren't met.

When are the times that you knew you needed to show up and be present? This week Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Parashah R’eih, the three pilgrimage festivals of Passover, Sukkot, and Shavuot, and how our pilgrimages can connect us not only to each other and our ancestors, but our friends and partners of other faiths as well.

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.

What was the most inspirational advice or speech or quote you ever heard? Who is the person that changed your life for the better? This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses Parashah Va-et'chanan, sharing words from Rabbi Harold Schulweis, where we learn that it only takes one - one moment, one person, one God - to inspire us, and to move us.

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.

We all face difficult decisions, but how do we reconcile our obligations and the repercussions of our actions? We should always ask ourselves – what is the better or kinder way to speak, to listen and to act? This week, as we learn about Matot-Mas'ei, Rabbi Rick Jacobs discusses the complications of ethics and war, hard choices, and the necessity of incorporating our moral compasses in the most challenging of times.

What happens when zealotry is mistaken for passion? How do we measure our responses and find the humanity in each other during tense times? Rabbi Rick Jacobs delves into the unexpected lessons found in this week’s Parashah, Pinchas, through a Torah lens as well as how that applies to modern-day Israeli politics.

Sometimes the darkest moments bring out the light and opportunities arise for adversaries to become advocates. This week, in Parashat Balak, we learn about King Balak, who fears the Israelites and decides to have them cursed. Balak’s hired soothsayer tries to curse the Israelites three times, but the words that come forth are a wonderful surprise, which can inspire us all.

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.

As we learn this week, sometimes our past rituals don’t match our present values. Join Rabbi Rick Jacobs as he discusses Parashat Korach, and what it means to challenge a decision for the sake of the ego... versus what it means to challenge for the sake of a greater purpose.

What’s your holy mission? In Parashah Sh'lach L'cha, we learn about the 12 scouts, or emissaries, sent by Moses to learn about the land of Canaan. Join Rabbi Rick Jacobs as he discusses the importance of representatives within Judaism and their obligations, and how each of us can be emissaries of kindness, respect, and justice.

In this week’s Parashah, B'haalot'cha, Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses - leading to Miriam's affliction of leprosy. When Moses sees his sister’s illness he exclaims “Oh God, please heal her!" Rabbi Rick Jacobs and his guest, Dr. Raphael Walden, explore what it means to both spiritually and literally heal the world, regardless of the boundaries that lie before us. And as Dr. Walden’s story proves, sometimes building bridges, saving lives, and creating connections can happen even in the most unlikely times and places.

What happens when the Me Too Movement meets Parashat Naso? This week’s complicated Torah portion about unfair trials and jealous men is a reminder that we must call out inequitable practices and right past wrongs – even (and especially) our own. Rabbi Rick Jacobs invokes Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as he reminds us that repairing that which is not whole or just isn’t always easy, but it is always right.

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat B'midbar, we're commanded to take a census of the “whole Israelite community.” Rabbi Rick Jacobs reflects on a new study from the Jews of Color Field Building Initiative, on what it means to include the “whole” community, including women and Jews of Color, and why it’s so important to be thoughtful about how we’re counting.

This week, we close out the book of Leviticus with Parashat B’chukotai, and learn about the rewards of following the commandments. Hear Rabbi Rick Jacobs’s take on why it’s important to not just live a virtuous life for ourselves, but also to help make our communities more ethical.

In this week’s Torah portion, Parashat B’har, we learn commandments around economic and environmental justice. In a time where income inequality is growing, Rabbi Rick Jacobs explains how Jewish tradition can inform our response to this modern-day issue.

This week's Torah portion, Parashat Emor, deals with the crime of blasphemy, which was punished by stoning. Rabbi Rick Jacobs tackles what this prohibition actually means: a Chilul HaShem - a desecration of God's name. To combat it, we must devote ourselves to kiddush HaShem - a sanctification and uplifting of God's name through acts of compassion and justice.