The Jewish Way to a Good Life: Find Happiness, Build Community, and Embrace Lovingkindness

Rabbi Stutman, who cohosts the Chutzpod podcast, debuts with a friendly guide to how Jewish values can assist one in leading a more meaningful life. Contextualizing well-known and arcane scriptural rules pertaining to love, sex, and other subjects, she explains why self-esteem is foundational to loving one’s neighbor, and how ancient practices like niddah—which bars partners from having sex when one is menstruating—can inspire modern-day couples to create “structure and clear expectations” for intimacy. Discussing acts of chesed (“lovingkindness”), she unpacks why even imperfect motivations are acceptable when it comes to helping others (letting someone cut the airport security line “because you feel shamed into it... still gets the person to their gate on time,” she notes). Such practical examples effectively highlight the values of individual agency and community at the heart of Jewish tradition, and Stutman buttresses them with personal anecdotes and detailed instructions (including a step-by-step guide to help readers allocate and then increase the amount of money they give to charity). It’s a valuable primer for those seeking practical ways to apply Jewish principles to their lives. (Mar.)