Five rings and a lit torch
Plus advice FROM a listener
Welcome back to Chutzstack, the weekly Substack for Chutzpod listeners, accomplices, spiritual seekers, and friends.
This Substack gives you a semi-weekly, written dose of Chutzpod to keep you learning and pondering the Big Questions, and a community space to connect with each other.
August 2, 2024 // 27 Tammuz, 5784
We’re a week into the 2024 Summer Olympics and the feelings of excitement, pride, patriotism, and community are still going strong.
There is something singularly unique about the Olympics: a biennial event to celebrate athletes from around the globe who have dedicated their lives and countless hours of training toward this one moment. Despite the Olympics being a competition among countries, it is also a great unifier. We see the humanity in every athlete, the obstacles they’ve overcome, their personal stories. We get invested in their achievements, even if it comes at a loss.
There’s the 37 athletes of the Refugee Olympic Team, who represent the hundreds of millions of forcibly displaced persons in the world, pushing back in the face of oppression with a message of hope. There’s the 58-year-old Chinese-born table tennis player Zhiying Zeng, making her Olympics debut for Chile, who reconnected with her love of the sport after years away. There’s Nada Hafez, the fencing powerhouse from Egypt, who just revealed she competed while seven months pregnant. There’s the athletes’ families in the stands, moved to tears and cheering, watching their person accomplish what few ever will.
It’s really something.
Despite the problematic incidents of antisemitism against the Israeli athletes, we still have so many opportunities to connect and unify for the love of achievement and the love of humanity. We light the torch for everyone.
(And if you want to cheer on some Jewish Olympians, Hey Alma has you covered.)
Listener Polls
Last week, we asked you about fasting for Tammuz. The results are in!
We’re very focused on the Olympics this week, so chime in with which Jewish legend you would most want as a commentator.1
Listener Advice—from a Listener
Back in May, we released an episode about grandparents spoiling their grandchildren against the parents’ objections.
Our listener Lisa wrote in with her own thoughts that we thought worth sharing with all of you, Chutzsquad.
This week the question from Jane about her parents and their spending on her children left out some important things in my opinion.
First—this is a great opportunity for Jane to talk to her parents and draw a line between things and experiences. If her parents want to spend money on their grandchildren, then Jane can ask them to focus on experiences instead of expensive sneakers and the like. Maybe they can limit that to a birthday or Hanukkah gift. Intergenerational trips whether to the Maldives or out to dinner leave lasting impressions on children which will live on when their grandparents are gone. Additionally, the grandparents can use their generosity to pay for summer camps or enrichment classes or other experiences for the grandchildren. When I was in grad school my late grandmother paid my rent in NYC for two years so I didn’t have to move home at age 24 while pursuing my degree. She has been gone a long long time (I am 60) but I am still grateful for that generosity. Even an expensive gift now and then can be ok and appreciated.
Second—I agree that this is the time for Jane and her partner to begin transparent age-appropriate conversations with their children about money. But part of that conversation should include that it is ok for different households to spend their money differently. Children are smart and can understand that their parents may value simplicity but that their grandparents who worked hard all their lives are in a place where they want to share their good fortune and provide special opportunities for the kids. This will also be helpful as they get older and spend time with friends’ families who will all have their own financial situations and values.
But I think it is very important, especially as it seems her kids are on the younger side, that we not overuse the word “privilege” as mentioned by Hanna. Perhaps I am showing my age but isn’t it true that many families, especially Jewish families, have for generations encouraged our children to work hard in school and forge a successful career so they can live comfortably, contribute to tzedakah, and care for their children? To me, the way the word “privilege” is sometimes used has a very negative connotation. There is nothing wrong with striving to be successful and to want to use that financial success to make your family comfortable and even to pass it on to your children. To me, the important part left out of this conversation this week is the concept of gratitude. Jane can use this chance to teach her children to be grateful for the gifts their grandparents provide, whether material or experiential.
Do you have any advice from past episodes you want to share? Leave it in the comments or email us at chutzpod@gmail.com
Chutzpod Book Club
This week’s Book Club is a special one because it features none other than our intrepid host, Rabbi Shira!
Judaism has survived for 3,500 years by embracing a few, arguably paradoxical ideas: Life is hard. It also has the potential to be joyous. Every single human has a spark of something extraordinary in them. And every one of us should try to do 1 percent better. When looking for inspiration on how to live well, a go-to source is other cultures. We've learned how to warm our homes with hygge and to find meaningful work with ikigai. We practice mindfulness and yoga, rooted in Hindu philosophy, and study astrology, seeking insight into human nature. The Jewish Way to a Good Life reveals unique insights from Jewish culture that anyone can adopt to find meaning, cultivate good values, and experience joy.
As Chutzpod has always done, The Jewish Way to a Good Life helps us understand how ancient Jewish wisdom can be practiced in today’s modern world for a more meaningful life.
Shira’s book will be released next March, but preorders help authors tremendously. Preorder your copy of The Jewish Way to a Good Life on Bookshop today.
That’s all for us this week. Remember to share your thoughts in the comments, send us your questions, and donate.
Shabbat Shalom, Chutzsquad. We hope you keep your Olympic torches lit.
Move over Kelly Clarkson and Peyton Manning! (Snoop Dogg and Leslie Jones can stay.)
Maya Rudolph, in character as Maya Angelou: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4HEV5r65yM