Chassidic Tales with Rav Shlomo Katz

Why did the Baal Shem Tov's chazzan sing Selichos with joy instead of tears? His answer offers a transformative take on teshuvah, cleansing, and what it truly means to stand before the King.

When the Baal Shem Tov chose to spend Shabbos in the home of a known sinner over the town’s Rav, people were stunned. But his reason? A bold, soul-stirring lesson on humility, judgment, and where the Divine truly dwells.

After the Baal Shem Tov’s passing, his students recalled his miracles, until one had a dream that changed everything. What did the Baal Shem Tov say matters more than miracles? A revelation worth hearing.

What do you do when words don’t work? Reb Simcha Bunim of Peshischa chose a game of chess, with one powerful twist that opened a lost Yid’s heart. What if Teshuva is just one move away?

In Premishlan, hachnasas orchim —welcoming guests — meant more than offering food and shelter. It was a sacred mission to make every visitor feel wanted by Hashem Himself. What does it really mean to prepare a space for another soul?

In a vision from the higher worlds, the holy Rebbe of Premishlan saw a six-year-old being honored above an old man. The lesson? In Heaven, age is measured not in years, but in meaning. How old are you really?

At the wedding of the Noam Elimelech’s daughter, no one dared to dance until one brave tzadik stepped forward. What followed became the holiest dance in the world. What does it take to move beyond yourself in the name of joy?

When the Noam Elimelech washed his face, he wasn’t just getting ready for the day. He was polishing the Tzelem Elokim, the image of God. What if we saw every part of our body that way? What if the mirror wasn’t a source of judgment, but of holiness? What would it mean to care for your body as part of something divine?

The Yismach Moshe, a giant in Torah and holiness, lived every day ready to greet Moshiach — a special suit by his bedside. Someone hired to wake him should the Geulah come at night. But in his final moments, he turned his eyes upward… and asked one heartbreaking question. What does it mean to wait for redemption with your whole being?

If you had to cut the hair of the Chozeh of Lublin, how many mikvahs would you go to first? They tried barber after barber. None could lay a hand on the Tzaddik’s head until they found one man, a doctor-barber, who didn’t look the part… but had hands unlike anyone else. Where did those hands come from? The answer left the chassidim speechless.

One Shabbos in Lublin, there wasn’t even enough for candles. The Rebbetzin stood in the street, weeping. A man known for everything but holiness happened to pass by. He gave her two coins. She gave him a blessing. And Heaven hasn’t stopped talking about it since. What kind of light can change a soul?

The Mitteler Rebbe could speak for hours, diving deep into Kabbalistic oceans. His chassidim were in awe. The Alter Rebbe? Sometimes just a few minutes. But one of his chassidim had a different take. Can one word hold more than a thousand?

Reb Yehoshua Wolf survived five years in the camps. But the day he was freed — that was the hardest. His grandchildren couldn’t understand. Until he told them what he had been waiting for. What happens when redemption comes… but not the way you hoped?

A Lezhinsk chassid had payos so long they touched the floor. People asked why. What kind of chumrah is this? You don’t even need payos this long! His answer had nothing to do with halacha… and everything to do with generations. What kind of legacy can a mitzvah create, if you're thinking not just about yourself, but about your great-great-grandchildren too?

A poor father turned to the Magid of Mezhibuzh, desperate for a bracha to marry off his daughter. The tzaddik’s answer? Strange. Cryptic. Something about digging up his grandparents. Only later did it all start to make sense. How far does a blessing have to travel to arrive at just the right time?

People in Brisk were fed up with the loud Karliner chassid in their shul. His screaming during davening was just too much. They brought it to the Brisker Rav. His response? A quiet ride, a sharp question, and a surprising answer that’s hard to forget. Who is it really for when we cry out to Hashem?

When the Rebbetzin was unwell, she didn’t tell the Rebbe—it would cause him too much pain. And when someone else told him, he asked them not to let her know. What kind of love carries that much gentleness?

In Berdichev, the holy Reb Levi Yitzchak was still basking in the sweetness of his Seder night when a voice from above interrupted his joy: “Did you see what Chaim the janitor accomplished this year?” What could a passed-out janitor possibly teach the Berdichever Rebbe about the Seder?

When the Netziv published his masterpiece Ha’amek Davar , he threw a seudat mitzvah —and shared a story he’d never told before. It involved a childhood dream, a stack of unwritten sefarim, and a choice that changed his life. What would you do if you saw what you could’ve become?

He never got to meet the Sanzer Rebbe in person. But the Rebbe found him anyway. What does it mean to be someone's חסיד forever—even if you never made it to their tisch, even if you only dreamed of being there?

They had five days left. So the Jews of that little Polish town gathered in shul and made a decision—one that no one had ever made before, and no one would ever forget. What does it mean to celebrate every Yom Tov—Pesach, Shavuos, Sukkos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur— in a single week , on the eve of deportation? And what does it mean to be joyful, simply for being a Jew … even at the gates of Geheno...

He was just supposed to deliver a letter. But when the young Lelover chassid stopped in Pietrekov, something unexpected happened.  What kind of healing can happen when someone really believes in the words they speak?

Reb Elimelech of Lizhensk saw the third Beis HaMikdash being built. But something didn’t sit right. The chaos, the inefficiency, the crowding.  So he asked one of the workers why it wasn’t done in a simpler way. The answer he got made him look at the whole thing differently. What if the most important part of rebuilding isn’t how strong we are, but that we all get to carry something?

Reb Elimelech was fasting—three days without food, without sleep, trying to stop the decree looming over his people. Then he saw his Rebbe, the Maggid of Mezritch, in a dream. And what the Maggid told him… well, it left him with more questions than answers.

Before Rosh Hashanah, the Kozhnitzer Rebbe gave one quiet instruction: “Wake me at this time.” His shamash woke him ten minutes early. All year long, the Rebbe kept mentioning those ten minutes. What could really be lost… in just ten minutes?