Rav Shlomo Katz

There are moments when a person feels so far from Hashem that they begin to believe the distance itself is the truth. In this deeply personal shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David learn the Torah of what happens when a tzaddik refuses to let you define yourself by your falls, your confusion, or your sadness. Through the teachings of Rebbe Nachman and the light of Bamidbar, this epis...

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore one of the most urgent Torah questions of our generation: What does the Torah actually demand from Am Yisrael when danger is rising? Through the lens of הלכות מלחמה, Rav Shlomo learns the Rambam, Gemara, and Shulchan Aruch on מלחמת מצוה, לא תעמוד על דם רעך, and the obligation not only to respond to danger… but to prevent it. From October 7th t...

Recorded in the midst of painful and urgent questions surrounding war, leadership, and Jewish identity, this shiur dives into one of the deepest Torah concepts of our time: מלחמת מצווה. Drawing from Avraham Avinu, Yehoshua bin Nun, Rav Herzog, Rav Soloveitchik, and Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore what it actually means for Jews to fight a war with clarity...

What happens when a child goes to shul… but never develops a taste for tefillah? In this deeply honest episode of Know Your Children, Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David explore the tension every parent feels between obligation and connection. Is “good chinuch” just getting children to sit quietly in shul — or helping them discover something that genuinely touches their soul? Through the...

As Parshat Behar–Bechukotai closes Sefer Vayikra, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore one of the deepest teachings of the Ishbitzer on the words “אם בחוקותי תלכו.” What does it mean for Torah to become חקוק — engraved — inside a person? And how do you know if your mitzvot are truly becoming part of you, or just remaining external behaviors? In this shiur, Rav Shlomo weaves toget...

Before a Jew speaks to Hashem, something deeper has to happen first. In this powerful continuation of our learning on hitbodedut, Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David explore the hidden avodah that comes before the words ever begin: silence, yishuv hadaas, longing, and preparing the heart to truly stand before the Ribbono Shel Olam. Drawing from Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson, this shiur ope...

What does it actually mean to be a חלוץ? Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David dive into Hilchos Milchama VeShalom, and uncover the hidden meaning behind one of the most familiar phrases in bentching: “Retzei V’Hachalitzeinu.” Far beyond the modern image of pioneers and soldiers, Rav Shlomo explores the Torah concept of chalutziut — the courage to break free from habits, fear, exile-consc...

Lag BaOmer is not the day Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai passed away. It’s the day his light became impossible to hide. Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David enter the final moments of Rashbi’s life as described in the Zohar — a moment filled with fire, overwhelming אור, and a revelation that redefines what it means to leave this world. From Rabbi Abba’s struggle to record the words, to the תלמי...

There are days in the Jewish calendar where we remember the brokenness of the world. And then there is Lag BaOmer — a day that doesn’t belong to that system at all. In this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and women of Shirat David enter the world of Reb Shimon bar Yochai — a world where churban doesn’t touch, where darkness doesn’t define reality, and where simcha isn’t dependent on understanding. Through...

As Parshat Emor brings us into the avodah of Sefirat HaOmer, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover a deep teaching from the Even Shlomo: the secret of time and space is not abstract. It’s the key to knowing where you are, who you are, and what this moment is asking of you. In this shiur, Rav Shlomo explores why we specifically daven for the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash after c...

Recorded on ערב יום הזיכרון, standing in the חלקה הצבאית of כפר עציון, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David reflect on what it means to stand among קדושים who gave everything for עם ישראל. Through the lens of חז״ל, the story of לוליאנוס ופפוס, and the halachic depth of מסירות נפש, a different picture of Yom HaZikaron begins to emerge. This isn’t only a day of grief. It’s a day of gratitu...

Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David continue exploring one of the most misunderstood יסודות in parenting: the difference between acknowledgment and enabling. Building on the concept of chush ha’ta’am—a child’s inner sense of preference and desire—Rav Shlomo explains why a child’s feelings must be recognized as real, even when their actions can’t be accepted. Just as we would never deny a...

As Parshat Tazria–Metzora confronts the difficult reality of lashon hara, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David reveal a deeper and almost surprising truth: the one who speaks negatively is not small, but someone with a big soul. Drawing from the Mei HaShiloach and the Meor Einayim, Rav Shlomo explores why the Torah דווקא calls the metzora an “Adam” — the highest name for a human being. W...

In this deeply practical shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David open a doorway into one of Rebbe Nachman’s most essential teachings: hitbodedut. Drawing from the sefer Eshpoch Lefanav Sichi and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman, Rav Shlomo reframes what it means to “talk to Hashem.” Not as something formal, structured, or intimidating, but as something raw, human, and deeply personal. W...

There’s a question that refuses to go away: If David HaMelech were here today… would we recognize him? In this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David go back to the roots of leadership in Torah—what Moshe Rabbeinu was searching for, what Yitro advised, and why it took generations until someone finally embodied it fully. Through the stories of Boaz, Ruth, and ultimately David HaMelec...

There’s a question sitting quietly beneath everything we’re living through right now: If Moshe Rabbeinu were here today… would he recognize our leaders of war? In this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open up one of the most uncomfortable and necessary teachings in Torah: the gap between strength and spirit. Yitro tells Moshe to appoint leaders who are not just powerful, but A...

There’s a question every home faces almost every day. “What’s for dinner?” It sounds simple. Maybe even trivial. But in this shiur, Rav SHlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David uncover how that question is actually a gateway into one of the deepest יסודות of parenting. What happens when a child says, “I don’t like this”? Do we push? Do we ignore? Do we accommodate? Rav Shlomo opens up a completel...

There are stories in the Torah we think we understand… until we slow down and actually listen. Nadav and Avihu are usually taught as a warning—two sons who did something wrong and paid the price. But what if that’s not the real story? In this shiur on Parshat Shemini, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David go deeper into one of the most misunderstood moments in the Torah and uncover what t...

There are moments in history when the greatest miracle isn’t what we do… but how clearly we can say why we’re doing it. On the original Shabbos HaGadol, Bnei Yisrael didn’t just take the korban Pesach. They were asked by the Egyptians what they were doing… and they answered בלי גמגום. No hesitation. No confusion. Total clarity. This wasn’t just bravery. This was a miracle. In this deeply timely Ha...

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn a breathtaking and deeply timely idea: the mesirus nefesh of Am Yisrael is not only protecting the nation — it is purifying the very air of Eretz Yisrael. Drawing from Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Tanach, Chazal, and the story of Yitzchak Avinu, Rav Shlomo expands the meaning of mesirus nefesh beyond the battlefield itself. A soldier who enters danger an...

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open one of the deepest foundations of מלחמה in Torah: when a Jew fights to protect Am Yisrael, he is not only defending lives — he is fighting a war of Kiddush Hashem. Learning through Tanach, Chazal, and Rambam, Rav Shlomo explores the greatness of the chayalim, the holiness of the war camp, and the responsibility to understand battle not as persona...

As Parshat Vayikra opens the world of korbanot, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover a deeper truth from the Even Shlomo: the purpose of a korban was never only to express guilt. It was to bring a person back to clarity — to help them leave the Beit HaMikdash knowing more deeply what truly matters, what doesn’t, and who they really are. In this shiur, Rav Shlomo explores the inne...

On Rebbe Nachman’s 254th birthday, Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David open a different kind of door. Not just into the teachings of the Rebbe, but into the mystery of what hiskashrus really means — what it means to feel that a tzaddik was sent into the world with your soul in mind. Through a deeply personal text from Rav Erez Moshe Doron, this shiur explores why connection to the tzaddi...

In this episode of The Laws of War and Peace, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open a deeper dimension of Jewish war that most people never think about: when Am Yisrael goes out to battle, it is not only the soldiers on the ground and not only the Ribbono Shel Olam above — the neshamos of tzaddikim from across the generations join the fight as well. Learning from Midrash, Zohar, and...

In this Hachana L’Shabbos for Parshas Hachodesh, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open up one of the deepest avodos of this season: hischadshus—not changing into someone else, but renewing yourself exactly from where you are right now. Drawing from the Chiddushei Harim, the Beis Avraham of Slonim, Reb Nosson, and Rebbe Nachman, this shiur is a call to stop waiting for the “right time...