About this episode
This week we start a new book of the Torah, Sh'mot, or Exodus. The book opens with, "These are the names of the children of Israel," but it's misleading. We don't actually go on to read the names of the children of Israel; we go on to only read the names of the boys. Sh'mot is a stunning moment where we are reminded that sexism dates back to biblical times. In this week's On the Other Hand, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, takes the opportunity to remind us of the amazing women of Exodus, without whom there wouldn't even be a Jewish people today.