Saving seats at services is almost as old as Judaism itself. But should you do it? A newly converted Jewish listener bristles at this convention and wonders if it’s ok to make her friends and family fend for themselves if they can’t make it on time. 

Should second weddings be modest? Or is it kosher to go full bridezilla? A listener asks for advice on how to deal with her sister’s seemingly over-the-top requests for her second Jewish wedding.

A Grandma asks Rabbi Shira and Hanna how to share Jewish traditions with her grandchildren. How can she share these traditions without overstepping? How can she be a Jewish grandparent at a distance?

The news is awful, and everything feels terrible. Now go celebrate! A news-obsessed listener asks for advice on how to be less negative at home. Is it ok to check out and still be a good Jew? And could Debbie Downer have been Jewish?

The next best thing to being in the synagogue with Rabbi Shira…Tune in to hear her sermon for the New Year.

A special episode on October 7th:

A year after the attack by Hamas on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, Rabbi Shira and Hanna mourn the loss of life and talk about what else has been lost in the trauma of ongoing war with an uncertain future. 

A young Jewish listener asks for advice on how to navigate tension between her two friend groups on opposite sides of the Israel debate.

Rabbi Shira and Hanna are answering your real life questions live at a special event in Washington D.C. – a city known for its scandal and intrigue. A married listener is having an affair and has no plans to stop. Should he still repent on Yom Kippur?

After her wife of more than two decades passed suddenly, our listener is struggling how to spend time by herself again, and how to tell her wonderful, well-meaning community to give her space.

Rabbi Shira and Hanna are joined by Rabbi Sharon Brous to talk about what she calls the “The Amen Effect” – what it means to be heard and seen during times of joy and grief and how a deeper connection to the Jewish community can actually help us cross tribal lines. Rabbi Brous is the founder of IKAR, an influential progressive Jewish congregation in Los Angeles and the author of The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World.

Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a new rabbi navigate her first high holiday season – what she calls “her Oscars and big debut.”

Dogs on a plane are kosher, but are they annoying? Rabbi Shira and Hanna kick off a new season and Elul with a Rosh Hashanah LaBehemot celebration. What are the Jewish ethics around animals? Is the Torah ableist? Bring your apples, honey, and dog biscuits and tune in.

Rabbi Shira and Hanna close out Season 3 with by celebrating Shavuot, which commemorates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. But how do you celebrate a sacred text that's often problematic?

A listener in an interfaith and interracial relationship asks for advice on how to navigate conversations about antisemitism, race and Israel. Rabbi Shira and Hanna are joined by antiracist educator Rachel Faulkner from the National Council of Jewish Women.

Do you suffer from Friendship FOMO? Heartburn, fatigue, painful stabs of jealousy while looking at Instagram? Rabbi Shira and Hanna will provide some relief. Podcast host and producer Lauren Ober writes in. And Shira lets out her inner mean girl.

Rabbi Shira and Hanna fire through a bunch of your letters and voice memos. Shira imagines having an audience with the Pope. Hanna re-imagines her concept of Jewish power. And, yet another plug for the mikvah.

Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a couple navigate the decision to donate their embryos. They’d like to give the gift to a Jewish family. They’d like to maintain close contact. Are mitzvahs still mitzvahs if you have an ulterior motive?

What to do when you want to teach your children gratitude, humility and the value of a dollar, but your mother’s “greatest joy in life” is spoiling them rotten. Rabbi Shira and Hanna talk about money myths, values and honoring thy father and mother.

Israel is destined to be top of mind during Passover this year. Rabbi Shira and Hanna give advice on how to have a meaningful (and less contentious) seder.

There's something titillating about secrets in Judaism, but should we have them? Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener who wants to unburden a big secret with her father.

Have you ever hid your Judaism? Whether for safety or comfort? A listener in France wonders if and when it’s ok to conceal your Jewish identity.