This is the first in a series of weekly videos in which we will discuss the weekly Torah portion (Parashat Hashavua) with leading Rabbis of different denominations.
Our first guest is Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the congregational arm of the Reform movement in North America which represents an estimated 1.5 million Reform Jews in nearly 900 synagogues across the United States and Canada. Before being installed as URJ president in June 2012, Jacobs was senior rabbi at Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, New York, where he served for nearly two decades.
This Week's Torah Portion– Parashat Kedoshim (Leviticus 19:1- 20:27)- features God telling Moses to give the people of Israel a set of rules which are meant to help them live a life of holiness. These rules include variations on several of the ten commanments, as well as different laws concerning basic ethical behavior (prohibitions on cheating, stealing and false oaths), harvest, religious rituals, and sexual conduct.
