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.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Rabbi Shira’s Yom Kippur Sermon: “See It”
#9 trending · Judaism
Even 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, Sou
Sep 16 15 min
Misery Loves Company (Even on Rosh Hashanah)
Chutzpod 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.
Sep 9 33 min
The Long Arc: 250 Years of Jews and America
Listen 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 endu
Sep 2 1 h 16 min
Coming Soon...Chutzpod Season 8!
Chutzpod 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 n
Aug 26 1 min
A Whole Lotta Leviticus: Our Traditional (Untraditional) Torah Study for Season 7
In 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
Apr 22 39 min
Ol' Dirty Money
What 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 as
Apr 15 37 min
Bubbemeises
Is 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 Jew
Apr 8 37 min
Practically Kosher
Is 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?”
Apr 1 45 min
A Sober Seder
Wine 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
Mar 25 32 min
Can’t We Just Have a Happy Passover?
With 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 yea
Mar 18 41 min
Hey A**hole
After a listener misgenders someone at synagogue, a torrent of feelings, recriminations and emails ensue, leading one congregant to email another with the subject “Hey As
Mar 11 43 min
Is Vanity Fair?
Is 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 dau
Mar 4 38 min
The Psychedelic Experience...on Purim
We’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
Feb 25 40 min
Coming Soon...Chutzpod Season 7!
Chutzpod 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 t
Jan 28 1 min
Rich Jew, Poor Jew
Did you know that 29% of American Jews struggle to make ends meet?
What you are about to hear is a session from the 2025 Jewish Federation of North America General Asse
Jan 21 44 min
Our Traditional Untraditional Torah Study
Rabbi Shira and Hanna end the season with a torah study jam packed with family dynamics, sibling rivalry, maternal manipulations, nation-building and birthright.
Read Pa
Dec 10 2025 49 min
I Was Invited to a Wedding in Israel, and I Don't Want to Go
Rabbi Shira and Hanna help a listener who was invited to a family wedding in Israel, but doesn’t want to go.
How important are weddings? And what if your conflicting fe
Dec 3 2025 46 min
Dogs on a Plane (Revisited)
As many of you are traveling for Thanksgiving this week, we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes.
Dogs on a plane are kosher, but are they annoying? Rabbi Shira a
Nov 26 2025 34 min
The All Death Episode
Our Chutzsquad sends in so many great questions about death and dying. Today, Hanna and Rabbi Shira attempt to answer as many as possible.
Why, how and when do we say M
Nov 19 2025 48 min
Three Rabbis Walk Into a Bar: A Rabbinic Roundtable
Ever wish you could listen in as a group of rabbis kibbitz about their jobs–the good, the bad and the ugly? Rabbi Shira hosts a roundtable for her rabbinic friends where
Nov 12 2025 39 min
Chart trend
Position in the Judaism chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#77#153JunJulAugSep
#4
all-time peak
113
days in the top 10 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where Chutzpod! ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 17, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
This is my favorite Jewish podcast! Rabbi Shira and Hana are excellent hosts who complement each other, with Shira providing excellent Torah commentary (the breadth and depth of her knowledge of Jewish texts is amazing!) and Hana contributing a boots-on-the-ground perspective. They select letters on a broad range of subjects, and I have learned so much about how Judaism views contemporary life through the eyes of these inquisitive, knowledgeable, and compassionate women. Who, BTW, clearly enjoy each other’s company and the virtual company of their audience!
Reader8591 · May 2025
Excellent content, thoughtful discussions. I love both of the hosts and they have amazing rapport and chemistry. I'm so glad I found this online community.
Update: As a linguist, I'm here for the uvular fricative!
I was sad to see Josh go, but I'm extremely happy both with the new format and the rapport that Hanna and Rabbi Shira have. Thank you!
Ramon, in the south · Feb 2025
I joined this podcast back near its beginning and loved the liturgical and humorous angles of it. With a change in hosts, the focus has become lived wisdom and shared experiences - equally of value to me and equally worth listening to!
For Thinking Gamers · May 2024
I stumbled upon this podcast a couple years ago and was intrigued that Joshua Malina was on it. I am also a parasha geek and it was another way to keep up with the weekly Torah portion.
I wasn’t sure about this new format - answering listener questions. I have been won over. I love the Hanna Rosen/Rabbi Shira chemistry, I love all the sideline issues that come from each question, and I love that the episodes are 20ish minutes which is about how long it takes me to clean up my kitchen. I always learn something new and feel that each episode has been worth my time.
MarvyHope · Mar 2024
I mostly love this podcast very much. It’s funny and thoughtful and educational and irreverent, all at the right amount. But I was very out off by the conversation about Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haazmaut. To be clear, the guests were incredible and their insights and perspectives are important. But the approach to this conversation, the idea that it is controversial for Israelis to mourn their fallen or celebrate their independence and existence in our ancestral and indigenous homeland was infuriating. It’s frustrating that Jews, and Israelis in particular, are alone held to such an impossible high standard, that everything they do is criticized. And while I expect it from the outside world, to find it here from fellow Jews was heartbreaking. Give us these 48 hours to mourn, honor and rejoice. Why is that so terrible?
LibrarianAvi · Jun 2022
We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.
Here you find the Apple Podcasts chart positions of Chutzpod!, its latest episodes to listen to directly, and reviews from listeners. Rankings are updated daily for the United States.
