What to do when calling your mother is not just a pain, but painful. Rabbi Shira is back from Israel with insights and advice.

What happens if you receive an unexpected inheritance from a person you’ve cut out of your life? Should you keep it? Give it away to charity? Join Rabbi Shira and Hanna as they balance the rules of Torah with the financial realities of life.

A pastor expresses private support for his Jewish friends, but they ask him to make it public. He is squeamish…he could alienate members of his own congregation. How does he say no without ruining a friendship? And is he being antisemitic? Join Rabbi Shira and Hanna Rosin as they dive into when it’s ok to say no, and what is and isn’t antisemitic.

Rabbi! Hanna! the parents ask. Tell us the magic words we can say to our children that will make them love and unequivocally support Israel. And we respond.

On the inaugural episode of this season of Chutzpod, Hanna Rosin and Rabbi Shira wrestle with a listener's question about American Jews who are full of “yes, BUT…” when it comes to mourning murdered Israelis. Can’t we just be sad without invoking the Occupation?

Join Rabbi Shira and Hanna Rosin in a short discussion on the fraught politics of seeking comfort if you are mourning for Israel. Why, in social justice circles, is expressing sympathy for Israelis, even in a tragic moment like this, complicated? Where should you seek comfort? If you're an ally how should you provide it? Can you feel for both Israelis and Palestinians?

This week we finish our two-part series in partnership with Encounter honoring Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut. We share stories from American Jews who found moments of humanity and mutual respect and understanding with Palestinians, helping to bridge the distance between cultures, countries, and continents. We also bid l'hitraot (see you soon!) to Josh as he leaves Chutzpod for other projects.

This week is our first of two episodes in partnership with Encounter in honor of Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day, respectively). We share the stories of two Israelis and two Palestinians on their experience seeing "the other," and how it has helped them believe a different future is possible. This is a must-listen episode; we hope you return to it again and again.

We've got a double parsha week everyone! Join Rabbi Shira and Josh as they discuss Tazria-Metzora, one of the...grosser sections of the Torah. But worry not, this episode is not about skin disease but about gossip. Learn how the two are related, about the nature of gossip (hint: it's everywhere!), and when it's ok to talk about others.

On this week's episode Joshua and Rabbi Shira dig into two important observances in Judaism: Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) and counting the Omer. Learn more about the modern observance of Yom Hashoah, Jewish conversion during World War II, and what lessons we can learn for today. We also discuss Leopoldstadt, the Broadway play that Joshua now stars in, and how it's just as relevant as ever. Also learn about what the heck the Omer is, why we count it and how!

On this week's episode of Chutzpod, Rabbi Shira and Joshua welcome Korin Arkin of the National Human Trafficking Hotline and Noel Gomez of the Organization for Prostitution Survivors to learn about what human trafficking and modern day slavery look like. It's a heavy episode, but important listening to understand that the Exodus story is not a thing of the past. Listen today to learn more about what is happening all around us and what you can do to help.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

Spoiler alert: a guest co-host! Reservation Dogs actor Sarah Podemski joins Rabbi Shira and Joshua 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.

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. Adrienne Krone from Allegheny College.

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.

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.