Even with good intentions, when we talk about people who are not present, we run the risk of disparaging them, without giving them the opportunity to respond.  Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, discusses one of the themes of Parashat B'haalot'cha: how the words we use affect ourselves and others.

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.

A remarkable new demographic says that Jews of color make up 10-20% of the Jewish population. When we look around our congregations, it may be hard to believe that statistic. There are many who are not counted because we’re not doing a good job of opening our arms wide.  Like our ancestors, we focus on our own modern day tribes: The tribes of the Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and secular. Amidst our real differences, can we sew ourselves together into a larger identity of being Am Yisrael – one people?  Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, discusses these themes in this week's Torah portion, Parashat B'midbar.

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.

This week Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President for the Union for Reform Judaism, teaches about parshat B'har wondering what would social justice to the extreme look like and did the Torah know to teach it thousands of years ago?

This week Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, speaks about parashat Emor and asks: how do you enact justice in modern times to make the world more balanced? And how do you elevate the receiver -- not your own self, the giver?

This week in parshat K'doshim, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President for the Union for Reform Judaism, wonders who is your neighbor? Can you love them even if they are not like you? If -- and when -- you do, can it change your life and even someone else’s?

Passover may have just ended, but

it’s not too early to talk about Yom Kippur and second chances.

This week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about making mistakes and the

sometimes-negative consequences of innovation.

In this week's special edition of On The Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, talks about the Jewish calendar, including how we mark time and how we find meaning.

Passover means matzah, and this week, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, talks about how, love it or hate it, eating the “bread of affliction” might actually teach us about empathy. He also pushes us to think about how having tough conversations at our Passover seder might be a new kind of liberation.