Chutzpod!

In preparation for the start of Passover, Rabbi Shira and Josh (back from hiatus!) delve into the six--yes, six--senses of the seder. How do taste, smell, touch, sound, and sight help enhance the Jewish sixth sense: memory? How do your memories and traditions (new and old) enhance the seder experience? Listen today to learn more.  Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

In honor of International Women's Day (March 8), we discuss Lilith, Adam's supposed first wife, a demonized figure associated with stealing children and seducing men. But she is also an incredibly powerful and feminist figure. Who is Lilith really, and what can she tell us about the mixed multitudes of women today? Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

This week on Chutzpod we celebrate Purim! We embrace the gallows humor (pun intended) and joy of the holiday by highlighting five up-and-coming Jewish comedians (Orli Matlow, Sam Morrison, Becca Nix Tham, Evelyn Frick, and Dylan Adler) and their favorite Jewish jokes. Plus a megillah reading and, of course, a spiel. Episode Time codes: (13:00) 1st Megillah Reading by Scott Weiner (20:15) Orli Matl...

This week we step back and answer your questions. Listen to Rabbi Shira and Sarah Podemski dig into the ideas of spirituality, what it means to be Jewish, the tension between keeping kosher and protecting our environment, and "God's plan." A trigger warning: this podcast does discuss death by suicide at the 38:30 mark. Episode Timecodes: (50:15) - Rabbi Shira's Guided Meditation Learn about your a...

Rabbi Shira and Sarah Podemski discuss the (in)famous Torah passage "an eye for an eye." Wouldn't this make the whole world blind? We also discuss the importance of dual identities and what it means to be "half Jewish." Listen today! Episode Timecodes: (41:45) Rabbi Shira's Guided Meditation Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Spoiler alert: a guest co-host! Reservation Dogs  actor Sarah Podemski joins Rabbi Shira and Josh to delve into Jethro's (the father-in-law, not the band) visit to Moses after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. What did Jethro teach Moses about how to lead his people and how to avoid burnout? What lessons can we learn, as well? We also discuss the new Netflix film  You People . Episode Time codes...

We're back to the beginning of the Chutzpod cycle with our second episode on Tu Bishvat! On this week's episode, Rabbi Shira and Joshua take on food insecurity and justice with Abby Leibman, CEO of MAZON, a Jewish Response to Hunger. Learn about the Israelites' hunger after crossing the Red Sea and what hunger looks like in today's America. Stick around at the end for a special teaching from Dr. A...

Rabbi Shira and Joshua delve into the final three plagues and the Hebrews' liberation from Egyptian slavery. The story is difficult to digest--the last three plagues are devastating. Does the pursuit of justice require violence? Who really hardened Pharoah's heart? And should the new Chutzpod merch have a slash of lamb's blood on it? Listen now to find out. Episode Timecode: (38:00) Rabbi Shira Gu...

The Exodus story continues, and with it, questions about what oppression does to both the oppressed and the oppressor, and the importance of breath in pushing back against injustice. We also coin the term "vicious squiggles," critically important for understanding any religious or political movement in history. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

We've begun the book of Exodus just in time to mark Martin Luther King Jr's birthday and the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. This first parsha packs a lot in: Moses' birth, growing up Egyptian, the burning bush, and starting to fight against oppression. But it's the Hebrew and Egyptian women who really spark the first acts of civil disobedience--getting into good trouble. Learn more about the connect...

Happy New Year and welcome back to Chutzpod! Rabbi Shira and Joshua wrap up the Joseph narrative and conclude the Book of Genesis. Will Joseph be able to forgive his brothers? Does restitution only come from honesty? We also discuss your response to our December Dilemma episode and the beauty of crying. Episode Timecodes: (36:00) Rabbis Shira's Guided Meditation Learn about your ad choices: doveta...

We're deep into Hanukkah and Joshua and Rabbi Shira share listener stories and advice on how to navigate the December holidays as an interfaith family or couple. Should your child have to wear Christmas pajamas to school? How do you integrate traditions and food? How much egg nog ice cream can Josh's parents eat? Find out all this and more in this week's episode. Episode Time codes: (03:30) Diving...

Rabbi Shira and Joshua go on a Hanukkah retrospective: how it started 2,200 years ago, how it's evolved through the Medieval era until today. It will have you rethinking the Hanukkah story you thought you knew. Is the oil the most important miracle of the holiday? Or is the true miracle that Shira had positive things to say about Hanukkah? Grab a jelly donut and a latke and tune in today. Episode...

For our foremothers Rachel and Leah (and Bilhah and Zilpah) it's all about what they said (or couldn't say). How does this week's Torah portion hold up against the Bechdel Test? We're also joined by New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor to discuss her Judaism, her work uncovering workplace harassment in Hollywood, and the new film She Said , out in theaters now. Episode Timecodes: (13:20) - Jodi K...

In our final episode before Thanksgiving, we welcome Sarah Podemski, an award-winning Anishnaabe and Ashkenzai artist and actress ( Reservation Dogs) . Before we get to it, Joshua and Rabbi Shira discuss this week's Torah portion Chayei Sarah  about the life (and really the death) of our matriarch Sarah. Episode Timecodes: (6:15) Sarah Podemski Interview (33:10) Rabbi Shira's Guided Meditation Lea...

Rabbi Shira and Joshua react to Election Night and tie it into this week's Torah portion of Vayera. We also welcome on Jodi Rudoren, editor in chief of  The Forward , to discuss how she handles criticism from all corners of the Internet, her experiences at the New York Times, and her take on the hamentashen vs. latke debate. Episode Timecodes: (15:30) - Jodi Rudoren Interview (41:45) - Rabbi Shira...

Rabbi Shira and Joshua get back to basics with a Torah discussion about parshat Lech Lecha on going forth. We discuss the duality of fire, the concept of being a blessing, and the dynamics between Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah).    Episode Timecode: (36:15) Rabbi Shira’s Guided Meditation Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Rabbi Shira and Joshua are hosting the Americans for Peace Now Annual Gala on Sunday 10/30 and to prepare for the gig, we are joined by one of the honorees, Letty Cottin Pogrebin.  Letty's accomplishments are too long to list, but we spend a lot of time focusing on her new book "Shanda: A Memoir of Shame and Secrecy”.  We all have elements from our past we are ashamed of, but should we be?  We als...

Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is the only person to ever serve as both synagogue president and U.S. Senator. She joins the rabbi and Joshua this week to discuss navigating shul politics, the pursuit of Tikkun Olam, and even Broadway musicals. Before the interview, Chutzpod! addresses the recent comments by former President Trump on American Jews. Episode Timecodes: (15:30) Senator Rosen Interview (34...

For our 2nd Sukkot themed episode, we examine the harvest side of the holiday as Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome on Gerardo Reyes Chavez, a key leader for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers in Florida. Gerardo has been working in the fields since he was eleven years old and shares the difficult perspective of being a worker of the land and their continuing struggle for basic human rights. Episode T...

As Sukkot approaches, we bring on a botanist to dig into the agricultural side of this underrated Jewish holiday.  Chutzpod! is joined by Holly Poole-Kavana from Little Red Bird Botanicals to talk about how plants are used for sacred traditions. What is the significance of the willow, myrtle, date palm, and of course the Etrog!  Plus, get a “peek” at Rabbi Shira’s backyard sukkah, featuring botani...

Our first episode of 5783 is jam-packed. Rabbi Shira and Joshua open with author Nathan Englander, playwright Josh's new play, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank . We then welcome Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World to help us figure out how to make things right with other human beings. Why are we so bad at saying sorry?...

For our final episode of 5782, we bring you a longtime staple of Rosh Hashanah, the Rabbi's sermon. Rabbi Shira shares with Josh and all of us a touching testimony about life and difficult family experiences, which will help put you in the right frame of mind as we bring in the New Year.  "L' Shana Tova!" Episode Timecodes: (07:01) Rabbi Shira's sermon Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org...

Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome Lutheran Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber as we dive into the concept of "Bein Adam L'Atzmo", which means between humans and ourselves. Forewarning to Chutzsquad!....There is a lot of cursing in this episode and we bleeped none of it! Episode Timecodes: (04:05) Nadia Bolz-Weber interview (38:30) Rabbi Shira closing blessing to Nadia Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.o...

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are approaching and Rabbi Shira and Joshua want to help you prepare (and need to prepare ourselves).  We welcome Rabbi Toba Spitzer, author of "God is Here: Reimagining the Divine ", to help figure out how to begin. Episode Timecodes: (07:35) Rabbi Toba Spitzer segment (43:01) Rabba Tamar Elad-Appelbaum meditation Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choice...