Stories We Tell: The Golem
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Chukat: Remembering Rabbi Aharon Pankin
Parashat Chukat, we learn of the passing of two of the most inspired biblical teachers: Miriam and Aaron. In this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs honors the life of Rabbi Aaron Panken, Ph.D., z”l, who, like the biblical Aaron, was a remarkable leader.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - D'varim: For All the Jewish People
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.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Sh’lach L’cha: Optimism and Hope
Parashat Sh’lach L’cha, the Jewish people are wandering the desert and doubting that they’ll ever make it to the promised land. So, they send 12 spies ahead to scout the land and report back.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Emor: Unnamed Women
Tucked at the very end of Parashat Emor we meet Shlomit bat Divri, the only woman whose name we learn in Leviticus. But, why do we learn her name and not others?
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Nitzavim: Why Organ Donation is Jewish
Parashat Nitzavim features the phrase “choose life,” but what does it mean to choose life? One way of choosing life is by becoming an organ donor. Rabbi Jacobs discusses why this lifesaving choice is part of his Jewish values in this episode of On the Other Hand.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Tzav: How to Be a Leader
Parashat Tzav opens with a command to Aaron, the high priest. It’s a moment to think about leadership – who are our leaders and what do they do? Are our leaders born into the role, like Aaron, or are they called to leadership, like Moses?
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Pesach: Why is This Passover Different from Other Passovers?
In this special Passover episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs discusses empathy. The story of Passover asks that we put ourselves in the shoes of those who escaped slavery and travelled to freedom, and that we think about what it’s like to have nothing.
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Sh’mini: Kashrut Explained (Or, Why I Can’t Eat A Camel)
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Tazria and M’tzora: What We Get Wrong About the Dreaded Parashiyot
Parashiyot Tazria and M’tzora are perhaps the most nerve inducing parashiyot in many Jewish circles, and it makes sense—most people aren’t typically eager to discuss leprosy.