Political tensions, anxiety, and loneliness are on the rise.

But problems like these aren't new, and the solutions don't have to be either.

For thousands of years, societies have asked questions about how to live, thrive, and love.

And it was spiritual traditions that offered wisdom and tools to help people find their way.

Tools that science is now discovering offer real benefits. Join me, Dave

Desteno, to explore how we can all use this wisdom, whatever our beliefs. Listen to How God

Works from PRX, wherever you listen to podcasts. Shalom. Shalom, Rabbi Shira, and Shalom, Listeners.

Welcome back to Hutzpod, ancient texts from modern times. We are the podcast that looks at life

through a Jewish lens. Yes, yes, but always acknowledging that there are many other equally valid lenses.

There are Christian lenses, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, and Satanist lenses. Really? Satanist? Seriously?

We cast a wide net, Joshua. We even welcome atheists. God bless them.

So, what I'd like to do today is look at the upcoming holiday of Purim, a Jewish festival that celebrates our people's

survival against those that would destroy us. And rabbi, this differentiates it from other Jewish holidays exactly how? On this one, we eat homintoshin. Ah, I see. It sounds like Purim will give us the opportunity to explore a new topic. Anti-Semitism. Yes, we've been wanting to get into that. That reminds me of when I went to Yale. And? What? What's the rest of the story? No, no, that's it. Just I went to Yale. Ah, Baruch Hashem. Guzuntite. Have I mentioned I was also on the West Wing and on scandal? Yes, yes. I love how you framed that. Fascinating. I never really looked at it that way, even back when I was at sixth and I. Wouldn't it be sixth and me? Pardon? Never mind. Quick question. As we reflect upon Porum, and its original inchoate inception as a festival first reference in the Deuterocanical book of Maccabees 2, can we not extrapolate that the full refulgence of the holiday would be best invoked through exegesis rather than taking a hermeneutical approach? Interesting dilemma, and I really do want to hold space for that, but if I'm honest, Joshua, I'm not sure what that means. Neither am I, but I did go to Yale. Ah, good to know. So, Joshua, were you aware that according to the Talmud, a fourth century rabbi named Rava said that one must drink on Purim until you cannot distinguish between cursing Haman and blessing Mordecai.

Wow.

Rabbi, that would be like drinking until you couldn't distinguish between the two of us.

Hey, wait a minute.

This can only mean one thing.

Live from L.A. and D.C.

It's chutzpod, the Porum episode.

Hazzah! Welcome everybody! Look at us, Rabbi, we did a little porum spiel. We presented to be each other.

Like our podcast, I think it was in the top 2% of all porum spiels around the world.

Right. Very exciting. But the bar is set quite low. First of all, people listening at home

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