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.

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).

Rabbi Shira and Joshua are hosting the Americans for Peace Now Annual Gala on Sunday 10/30. 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 also explore the significance of the number 40 in honor of our 40th episode and this week's Torah portion, the story of Noah and the ark.

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.

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.

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 botanical murals by artist Mai-Han Nguyen (@nah_iam on Instagram).

Our first episode of 5783 is jam-packed. Rabbi Shira and Joshua open with author Nathan Englander, playwright of 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!”

Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome Lutheran Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber as we dive into the concept of "Bein Adam L'Atzmo", which means between human and ourselves. Forewarning to Chutzsquad!.... There is a lot of cursing in this episode and we bleeped none of it!

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are approaching and Rabbi Shira and Josh 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.

Rabbi Shira and Joshua are joined by award winning filmmaker Ken Burns to discuss his upcoming documentary called "The U.S. and the Holocaust" that will premiere on PBS on September 18th.

This past week saw the 5th Anniversary of the frightening and tragic "Unite the Right" Rally in Charlottesville, VA. Rabbi Shira and Joshua are joined by Amy Spitalnick.

Amy is the Integrity First for America’s Executive Director, the organization that successfully spearheaded the lawsuit and the broader fight against white supremacy and extremism at this crucial moment for democracy.

St. Paul's Temple of Aaron hosts the first-ever live taping of the show. The Minnesota Chutzsquad welcomes Rabbi Shira and Joshua for a lively conversation about the holiday of Tisha B'Av.

With the help of this week's double Torah portion (Mattot-Massei), and Hulu's new show "The Bear", Rabbi Shira explores with Joshua alternatives to violence when conflict arises.

What’s to be done when the Torah text we revere appears problematic? Dig deeper! Rabbi Shira guides Joshua through the challenges of this week’s portion, Pinchas, and what it has to say about interfaith marriages.

On our 2nd Mailbag Edition, Rabbi Shira and Joshua answer listener questions. Is chicken parm kosher? And how do we make circumcision cool again? These are just two examples of what you'll hear in this episode.

Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome Sarah Hurwitz. A senior speechwriter for President Obama, and head speechwriter for the First Lady, Sarah critiques Moses as a communicator in this week’s Torah portion, Chukat.

After the Supreme Court's ruling, Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome three esteemed rabbis to take a look at some Jewish text in an effort to contemplate the court's decision, and frame a Jewish response.

This week the Rabbi and Joshua speak to an unforgettably unique guest, author Michael Twitty as this weekend is "NYC Pride". Michael is an African-American Jew, who identifies with the LGBTQ community, and has an upcoming book titled: "Koshersoul: The Faith and Food Journey of an African American Jew".

As World Refugee Day is on Monday June 20th, Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome on a pair of important voices from Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), which is the oldest refugee organization in the world. Mark Hetfield is the CEO & President of HIAS and Melanie Nezer is its Senior VP, Global Public Affairs.