Parashat Haazinu is known as the Song of Moses—it’s beautiful, and many see it as poetry. Jewish liturgy is filled with poetry, because, as Rabbi Jacobs suggests, it’s one of the best ways to talk about God. In this episode of On the Other Hand, Rabbi Jacobs discusses different poems that help us probe deeper into Judaism, and why they do.

Poetry as Torah

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Poetry as Torah

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