Chutzpod!

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 enduring relationship between Jewish life and the American experiment. Through historical reflection and contemporary insight, speakers will explore how Jewish tradition and democratic ideals have shaped one another—and what that long story asks of us now.
This conversation features Rabbi Sharon Brous, Founder and Senior Rabbi of IKAR, Eric Cohen, President and CEO of Tikvah, and moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief, The Atlantic.
Chutzpod will be back with new episodes September 9th! Need advice from Hanna and Shira? Submit your questions to chutzpod@gmail.com. And make sure you're subscribed.
Listen to Rabbi Brous on Chutzpod!
More AJC conversations
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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 navigate a mixed-observance marriage and is believing in aliens Jewish?? 
Subscribe to automatically get all new episodes. And submit your own questions to be featured on an episode!
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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 talks about why Leviticus is such a grab bag of rules and laws with seemingly no real narrative order, some of the more controversial laws on sex, homosexuality and female impurity and how to view this part of the Torah as a guide to holiness in daily life, especially in a contemporary world that is often too cruel. 
Read Achrei Mot-Kedoshim
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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 associated with Jeffery Epstein. She asks how does Jewish tradition handle this moral predicament? And at what point are institutions complicit spiritually and ethically when they accept tainted funds?
Rabbi Shira and Hanna talk about when tzedakah becomes murky and how to be accountable morally and practically. 
Listen to Responsa Radio’s “Can Nonprofits Accept Money from Crooks?”
Read about accepting and using stolen money
Read about using a stolen lulav
Read Rabbi Sharon Brous’ sermon on the stolen beam
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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 Jewish luck and bad luck and where they fit into law and tradition. And they welcome a VERY special guest – Hanna’s mother Miriam. Her sister has had a string of bad accidents and she wants to know if changing her mezuzah will ward off future health scares.  
Read more on Jewish superstitions
Mezuzah 101
Check your mezuzah 
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