About this podcast
Chutzpod! is a frank and wide-ranging conversation on how to build a good life, using real-life quandaries and millennia-old Jewish wisdom. Each week, Rabbi Shira Stutman and journalist Hanna Rosin bring a Jewish lens to life's toughest questions, asked by our listeners: Do I offer forgiveness to a friend who refuses to apologize? Am I right to be annoyed at all the service dogs on the plane with me? How do we work to heal this broken world? It's a podcast for people of all or no faiths; Hebrew school truants and proud yeshiva graduates; those who want to be inspired but don't want to schlep to synagogue; basically, anyone trying to live a meaningful life during these trying times. One part advice column, one part reflection on what Judaism teaches on how to build a good life, using real-life stories and ancient wisdom.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 169 episodes
- Interfaith Co-parenting · 29 min · Season 8 Episode 8How would you respond if your child told you “Jesus is God”? Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener who is going through a difficult divorce and trying to coparent with her…
- A Mixed (Observance) Marriage · 39 min · Season 8 Episode 7We’ve all heard about mixed faith families, but what happens when everyone is Jewish, but one person is more observant? When does this become a burden on the rest of the family?…
- E.T. Phone Shul · 30 min · Season 8 Episode 6An all alien round-up episode! You asked, and we answered: Are aliens kosher? Are angels aliens? And does a belief in extra-terrestrial life strengthen Jewish faith or cause a…
- Jewish Advice for the Election on the Anniversary of October 7th · 39 min · Season 8 Episode 5As we mourn the lives lost on and after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, Rabbi Shira and Hanna discuss a problem common for many American Jews this election…
- Rabbi Freud · 32 min · Season 8 Episode 4Fun fact: Rabbi Shira is not only a rabbi, she’s also a therapist! So she’s uniquely equipped to answer this week’s listener question: When should you seek counseling from a…
- Hebrew School Dropout · 48 min · Season 8 Episode 3🎶No graduation day for you 🎶 As Hebrew Schools around the country supply their students with lulavs and etrogs for the upcoming Sukkot holiday, Rabbi Shira and Hanna talk about…
- Rabbi Shira’s Yom Kippur Sermon: “See It” · 16 min · Season 8 Episode 2Even if you can’t make it to Aspen you can hear Rabbi Shira’s sermon for Yom Kippur this year. Drawing on her own experience visiting the Langa Township in Cape Town, South…
- Misery Loves Company (Even on Rosh Hashanah) · 33 min · Season 8 Episode 1Chutzpod is back to usher everyone into the New Year! And as we approach 5787, a listener wonders how to show up authentically, even if that means bringing the mood down. Rabbi…
- The Long Arc: 250 Years of Jews and America · 1 h 16 min · Season 8Listen to this special bonus episode recorded live at Aspen Jewish Congregation on August 12, 2026. As America approaches 250 years, this conversation looks at the enduring…
- Coming Soon...Chutzpod Season 8! · 1 min · Season 8Chutzpod is coming back with new episodes and new real-life questions September 9th! Rabbi Shira and Hanna will talk about when to see a rabbi over a therapist, how to navigate…
- A Whole Lotta Leviticus: Our Traditional (Untraditional) Torah Study for Season 7 · 39 min · Season 7 Episode 9In our Season 7 finale, Hanna again poses as a yeshiva bocher. Shira takes her through a very special double Torah portion: Achrei Mot-Kedoshim Leviticus 16:1–20:27. She talks…
- Ol' Dirty Money · 38 min · Season 7 Episode 8What does Judaism say about accepting “dirty” money? A listener has been watching the online debate about how her alma mater should handle money from a prominent donor associated…
- Bubbemeises · 38 min · Season 7 Episode 7Is covering your mirrors during shiva a superstition or Jewish law? What about breaking the glass at a wedding? Tashlich? Rabbi Shira and Hanna discuss the ideas of Jewish luck…
- Practically Kosher · 46 min · Season 7 Episode 7Is it Kosher to question Kashrut? A listener writes, “Why do Jews have Kosher rules? And how would you suggest a previously unobservant Jew approach Kashrut, if at all?” Rabbi…
- A Sober Seder · 32 min · Season 7 Episode 5Wine is central to Jewish ritual, but what if drinking isn’t safe for you? A listener in recovery dreads what used to be his favorite holiday, Passover. He writes that he dreads…
- Can’t We Just Have a Happy Passover? · 41 min · Season 7 Episode 4With the world feeling particularly heavy, Rabbi Shira and Hanna wonder if, in addition to moments of anger and resistance, they can find a way to bring joy into this year’s…
- Hey A**hole · 43 min · Season 7 Episode 3After a listener misgenders someone at synagogue, a torrent of feelings, recriminations and emails ensue, leading one congregant to email another with the subject “Hey Asshole.”…
- Is Vanity Fair? · 38 min · Season 7 Episode 2Is Botox kosher? What about filler, extensions or hair dye? Can a good Jew be too vain? And does Judaism value beauty? A listener reaches out for help when her two daughters…
- The Psychedelic Experience...on Purim · 41 min · Season 7 Episode 1We’re back for Season 7! Purim is a time to reveal the hidden, unmask your shadow self and, perhaps, get super sloshed. But a listener wonders about having a psychedelic…
- Coming Soon...Chutzpod Season 7! · 1 min · Season 7Chutzpod is coming back with new episodes and new real-life questions February 25th! Rabbi Shira and Hanna will talk about using psychedelics on Purim, whether it’s ok to be…
