Even Shlomo - Rav Shlomo Carlebach zt"l on the Weekly Parsha

The Torah tells us that Hashem appeared to Avraham Avinu at Elonei Mamre. But it never tells us what Hashem said. What kind of revelation takes place without a single word?

In this week's Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a remarkable teaching from Reb Shlomo Carlebach and the Ishbitzer tradition about what it really means to encounter Hashem.

What happens when the world around us feels unbearably dark? How do we recognize Hashem's presence in moments of suffering and uncertainty? And when something deep inside us cries out for change, what might Hashem be asking of us?

A moving and deeply relevant learning for Parshat Vayera about the presence of Hashem and what it can awaken within us.

For more Shiurim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com/

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Chapters

00:00 Opening Nigun

00:26 Welcome and What the Avot Prepared for Us

01:32 When the Conversations of the Avot Become Our Torah

05:30 What Makes a Test a Real Test?

15:30 Avraham's Question: Who Runs the World?

16:31 When Revelation Becomes Responsibility

18:32 The Parable of the King Walking in Darkness

20:44 When Hashem Appears but Says Nothing

26:52 Avraham's Prayer for Every Suffering Jew

29:40 Finding Hashem Amid Tragedy

30:53 The Great Tzaddikim Who Cannot Be Replaced

32:36 Reb Shlomo's Remarkable Hesped for the Rebbe

34:05 When Torah Wanders Through Dark Alleys

35:37 Tisha B'Av and the Pain of a Torah in Exile

41:56 A New Light at the Banai Shul

43:47 When Jewish Education Produces Parrots

45:59 Revealing the Chen of Torah

What does it really mean to live above and beyond nature? And how much of what we consider impossible is simply the result of the limits we've placed on ourselves?

In this week's Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a remarkable teaching from the Ruzhiner Rebbe, as shared by Reb Shlomo Carlebach, beginning with a subtle but profound difference between Noach and Avraham Avinu.

Through beautiful Chassidic stories and some surprisingly practical examples, this shiur challenges us to reconsider what it means to serve Hashem, how we relate to others, and what might become possible when we learn to go beyond our own nature.

For more Shiurim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com/

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Chapters

00:00 Birthday Blessings and Opening Nigun

06:07 Beginning the Lech Lecha Teaching

10:02 Why Noach Walked With God and Avraham Walked Before Him

11:03 Elokim and Havayah: Nature and Beyond Nature

14:18 My Encounter with the Lelover Rebbe on a Plane

15:37 Why the Lelover Rebbe Wore a Fur Coat in Summer

23:29 Noach vs. Avraham: Two Ways of Giving Tzedakah

25:32 The Secret Generosity of a Wealthy Jew in Warsaw

28:57 Going Beyond Nature by Opening Your Door

30:31 Why Noach Didn't Challenge God's Decree

32:14 Our Soldiers and the Power to Go Beyond Nature

34:26 What Real Friendship Teaches Us About Going Beyond
36:00 Avraham's Willingness to Enter the Furnace
40:45 Going Beyond Our Natural Limits
41:15 When Love Makes Us Forget Our Needs
45:10 Be More Than You Think You Can Be
46:15 The Power of Living Beyond Nature
47:00 A Question About Techiyat HaMetim
48:45 Rav Ginsburgh on Faith Beyond Statistics

When we think of Parshat Noach, we usually think of the mabul, the teivah, the rainbow, and the dove returning with an olive leaf.

But there's something about that little olive leaf that opens up an entirely different world.

This week in Even Shlomo, we're learning one of my favorite teachings from Reb Shlomo Carlebach. It's one of the most unexpected pieces I've ever learned, connecting Noach to some of the most significant moments in our history.

And underneath this remarkable teaching is something so important for us to remember, especially when we find ourselves going through our own personal mabul.

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

How is it possible that someone can know so much Torah, teach it beautifully, and still leave us feeling absolutely nothing? And then someone else, who barely knows anything, can share one word that stays with us for the rest of our lives?

In this week's Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David begin Bereishit with a remarkable teaching from Reb Efraim of Breslov, as brought down in Reb Shlomo Carlebach's Even Shlomo.

Through Adam HaRishon, the Akeidah, and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson, we explore what it really means to receive the word of Hashem and give it over to another person.

A deeply relevant learning for anyone who teaches Torah, raises children, or simply wants the Torah they're learning to become a living part of who they are.

------------

For more Shiurim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com/

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Chapters

00:00 Opening Niggun and Gratitude

01:59 Dedication and Welcome

08:11 What Adam Blamed Chava For

10:17 Reb Efraim's Remarkable Teaching

11:41 What Was Adam's Real Sin?

12:56 Why Prayer Is Called Work of the Heart

17:08 How Avraham Transmitted God's Word to Yitzchak

19:01 Why Torah Must Be Accompanied by Prayer

24:36 Davening Over the Gift of Eretz Yisrael

29:18 The Secret of La'avdah U'leshamrah

30:53 How Adam Passed God's Command to Chava

32:04 Why Some Torah Leaves Us Cold

33:12 When One Word of Torah Changes Everything

34:33 The Crisis in Jewish Education

36:03 Choosing Teachers of the Tree of Life

As Parshat Balak unfolds, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore one of the most uncomfortable questions in Judaism: what does it actually mean to be the "Chosen People"? Is chosenness about superiority, exclusivity, or something entirely different?

Drawing on the Even Shlomo, Rebbe Nachman, and a breathtaking reading of Balak's deepest desire, Rav Shlomo reveals that Balak's mistake wasn't simply hatred of the Jewish people. At his core, he longed for a world where everyone could be close to Hashem, but he misunderstood what that closeness truly meant.

Through the stories of Ruth HaMoaviah, Pinchas, Ger Tzedek Avraham Potocki, and Reb Tzadok HaKohen, this shiur uncovers the inner meaning of בינו לבין קונו—a deeply personal relationship with the Ribbono Shel Olam that cannot be reduced to ritual alone.

Chosenness, Rav Shlomo explains, isn't about excluding others. It's about becoming so deeply connected to Hashem that your greatest joy is seeing the entire world draw close to Him as well.

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

00:00 Opening Nigun, Dedication, and Netanel's Birthday
05:06 Introducing Parshat Balak: The Seemingly Simple Portion
08:32 Balak vs. Bilaam: Why the Parsha Bears Balak's Name
13:16 Chosenness vs. Political Correctness
16:23 Balak's Jealousy and His Desire for Universal Closeness
19:16 The Miss America Analogy and the Meaning of Chosenness
23:19 Idol Worship vs. True Service of Hashem
27:02 Ger Tzedek Avraham Potocki's Final Reflection
28:43 Refining the Inner Self Takes a Lifetime
29:53 Why Pinchas Appears at the End of Parshat Balak
31:18 Pinchas: The Tikkun of Anger and Jealousy
33:05 The Personal Relationship with the Ribbono Shel Olam
34:08 Beino L'Vein Kono: The Messianic Secret
36:23 Balak's Dream Fulfilled Through Ruth
38:12 You're Not Disappointing Your Ancestors

As Parshat Chukat opens with the mystery of the Parah Adumah, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover a startling teaching hidden within its ashes.

Drawing from Reb Tzadok HaKohen, the Rambam, and Reb Shlomo Carlebach, this short but powerful shiur becomes a meditation on exile, redemption, and what it truly means to prepare for Mashiach.

Beginning with the Rambam's surprising prayer in the middle of Mishneh Torah, Rav Shlomo explores the deeper meaning of the Parah Adumah as a symbol of Am Yisrael itself: pure, whole, and sent "outside the camp" into centuries of galut. Yet the story does not end there. One day, the ashes will be gathered.

From the haunting image of the ashes of Majdanek to Avraham Avinu's first prayer in the Torah, a profound teaching emerges: before Mashiach comes, a Jew must be connected to both the dust of Eretz Yisrael and the ashes of the Six Million. Not one without the other.

----------------------
For more Shiurim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit:
https://ravshlomokatz.com

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Every year, we return to Parshat Korach, thinking we know the story. A jealous man challenges Moshe Rabbeinu, gets swallowed by the earth, and that's the end of it. But Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a much deeper reading: Korach's downfall was not that he made a mistake. It was that he could not admit he had made one.

Drawing on the Ishbitzer, Chazal, and the inner relationship between Korach, Kayin, Hevel, and Moshe Rabbeinu, this shiur uncovers what may be the ultimate test of truth: not whether we know the truth, but whether we can accept it when it exposes our own flaws.

Why is it often harder for religious people to admit they're wrong? What separates Moshe's humility from Korach's certainty? And why does genuine teshuvah require the courage to dismantle structures we've spent decades building?

From shalom bayis and friendship to leadership and spiritual growth, this episode becomes a powerful meditation on humility, learning, and the liberating realization that being wrong is not the end of the story. It may be the beginning of redemption.

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

As Parshat Shelach confronts us once again with the story of the Meraglim, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover what may be the deepest question hidden beneath their report.

Were the spies really afraid?

Drawing from the Even Shlomo, Rav Shlomo suggests that the issue was not fear at all. The issue was רצון.

Because if there is something you truly want — something your life depends on — nothing can stop you. Obstacles only reveal uncertainty in the connection. When desire is absolute, doubt disappears.

In this powerful shiur, Rav Shlomo explores the difference between responsibility and ratzon, the deeper meaning of אין דבר עומד בפני הרצון, the spiritual root of the Meraglim's mistake, and why Eretz Yisrael remains the ultimate test of what Am Yisrael truly wants.

Through stories of parents risking everything for their children, hostages who discovered hidden strengths, the Six-Day War, Oslo, and the eternal longing for Yerushalayim, this episode becomes a meditation on the question that every Jew must eventually ask:

What do I want so deeply that nothing in the world could stop me?
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro & Opening Blessings
02:37 Identifying the Core Issue of Today’s Shiur
13:17 When Obstacles Reveal a Flaw in Our Connection
14:36 The Unstoppable Drive: Jumping Into a Stormy Ocean
17:07 A Mother’s Heroic Act in a Car Accident
23:38 Lessons from the Meraglim’s Report
26:47 Reordering Responsibility and Ratzon

As Parshat Behaalotecha opens with the lighting of the Menorah, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover a deeper question hidden beneath the mitzvah: what was it that Moshe Rabbeinu could not understand about the Menorah?

Drawing from the teachings of Reb Leibel Eiger, the Sfas Emes, and Reb Shlomo Carlebach, this shiur explores the meaning of “fire” in Avodat Hashem — not external excitement, but the פנימיות שבפנימיות, the hidden flame burning deep within every Jewish soul. Rav Shlomo explains that Aharon HaKohen’s greatness was not simply lighting candles, but revealing to every Yid that there is already a fire inside them that never truly goes out.

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening greetings and theme introduction
08:40 Moshe's difficulty with the Menorah explained
13:09 Reb Leibel Eger on the nature of fire
15:38 Aharon HaKohen reveals the inner fire of mitzvah
18:24 Rebbe’s torch: fire that spreads the world
19:42 Maftirz becha – divine request for fire
23:35 Avoiding transgression with inner fire
28:23 Sefer Bamidbar’s perpetual failures and fire plea
29:33 Miriam’s Fire Extinguished – Keep Your Spiritual Flame Alive
34:48 Skeptics Question the Longevity of Our Community’s Fire
36:02 Moshe’s Struggle with the Menorah’s Eternal Flame
38:20 Returning to the Vision: The Menorah as a Divine Mirror
42:15 Overcoming the Inner Cynic with Aharon’s Persistent Fire

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 together Sefirat HaOmer, friendship, humility, and the danger of humiliating another Jew. Through a powerful story with IDF soldiers, the hidden meaning of counting the Omer, and the teachings of the Ishbitzer and Rebbi Akiva, he reveals that real spiritual growth happens not through perfection, but through closeness — closeness to Hashem, to Torah, and to each other.

At the center of the episode is a piercing question: what if the deepest form of Torah is simply learning to look at another person and say, “I actually have no idea what they’re carrying”?
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening Niggun and Sponsorships
14:34 Bechukotai and the Depth of Connection
16:56 Achieving Bechukotai Through Not Humiliating Others
18:10 Uncertainty About Others' Struggles
22:01 Understanding Chokim and Human Reason
24:24 Sefirat HaOmer as Daily Spiritual Growth
26:07 Consequences of Missing Omer Counting
27:09 Friendship as the Essence of Omer Counting
40:48 Bottom-Up Influence of Friendship

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 counting the Omer, and how Sefirah trains a person to become sensitive to time itself and to feel that every רגע is completely new. Drawing on the cheit ha’eigel, everyday life, and the inner world of Chassidut, he shows how losing touch with time leads to losing our sense of place, and how reconnecting to both restores clarity.

From the idea that “nothing is ever wasted” on Pesach Sheni, to the deeper meaning of lashon hara, relationships, and מחדש בטובו בכל יום תמיד, this episode becomes a powerful meditation on living in the here and now, and what it really means to be ready for the Beit HaMikdash.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Rav Ginsburgh and Pesach Sheni
03:22 Iyar Sponsorships and Memorials
05:14 Harachaman After Omer: Calling for the Beis HaMikdash
07:29 Knowing the Secret of Time and Space
10:40 Friend Reunion Analogy: Avoiding Lashon Hara
14:28 Forgetting Space: Disconnection from the Present
17:39 Yom Kippur’s Unique Shem HaShem Revelation
23:45 Sefirah Connects Time, Space, and the Temple
25:14 Personal Revelation and Giluy Naot
27:27 Unique Personal Interpretations of Omer
28:39 Seeing Everyone as Newly Created
30:19 Traversing the Seven Emotional Sephirot
31:23 Tefillin in the Bathroom: A Time/Space Lesson
32:35 Leaders Ignoring Time and Space
35:09 Prayer to Restore the Temple
37:14 Humility and Davening During the Omer

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. What emerges is a powerful insight: lashon hara often comes not from pettiness, but from deep disappointment — from people who wanted something very much and couldn’t bear when it didn’t come true.

In this shiur, Rav Shlomo traces the inner journey from unmet expectations to anger, and from anger to speech that wounds. He then uncovers the deeper תיקון of the metzora — not punishment, but space: stepping outside the noise of life to rediscover that the פנימיות never changed, that it’s only the “skin” that became hardened.

From the role of hitbodedut and isolation, to the deeper meaning of tzaraat affecting דווקא the עור, this episode becomes a guide to softening again — to seeing ourselves and others not through disappointment, but through the lens of what we know they can be.

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening and Sponsorship Announcements
01:17 Shlomo Hamelech and Mastery of Tazria/Metzora
03:29 Why the Torah Calls the Afflicted ‘Adam’
06:58 Disappointment Leads to Anger and Lashon Hara
08:51 Isolation and Hitbodedut as the Remedy
12:40 The Skin Metaphor and the Meaning of Tzaraat
20:42 Final Blessing: Softening Our Hardened Skins

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 they were באמת afraid of.

What happens when serving Hashem becomes something we only do because we “have to”? What happens when obligation replaces desire?

Nadav and Avihu saw a future where Yiddishkeit could become mechanical… where the fire is still there, but it’s no longer alive inside of us.

And they couldn’t accept that.

This isn’t about justifying what they did. It’s about understanding the נקודה they revealed and what it demands from us today.

Because the question isn’t just what they did wrong. It’s whether we’re living the kind of Yiddishkeit they were afraid of.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening greetings and sponsor acknowledgment
01:50 Gilgulim connection: Eliyahu, Pinchas and the bris story
04:50 Deeper meaning of Tzelafchad’s punishment
06:51 Multiple reasons offered for their fall
07:52 Repeated verse “כאשר צוה השם את משה” analysis
13:00 Halachic discussion on hitting children
16:33 Kotzker vort on lo tirtzach and the value of life
24:38 When God Becomes a Dead Idol
29:34 Nadav and Avihu’s Fear of Compulsory Worship
31:31 Mishkan Built from Command and Love
35:34 Rav Shlomo's Trip to Albany: Balancing Desire and Duty

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 inner meaning of charatah — regret — not as self-hatred, but as a revelation: this is not the real me. Drawing on Chazal, the Baal Shem Tov, and Reb Shlomo Carlebach, he explains how true teshuvah is not just feeling bad about what was done, but discovering that the sin never reflected the deepest רצון of the soul in the first place.

From wartime clarity and the question of what is truly essential, to a haunting story from Berlin, the Titanic, and the hidden purpose of Levi’im singing in the Beit HaMikdash, this episode becomes a meditation on desire itself: not only what we don’t want, but what we do want — and how Vayikra helps us remember.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening Niggun: Divine Presence Fills and Sustains the World
10:21 Introducing Today’s Special Shiur on Parshat Vayikra
11:36 The Blessing of Prioritizing What Truly Matters
13:03 Inner Essence of the Korban: Clarity After the Temple
15:43 Current Turmoil: Storms, Bombs, and Spiritual Discernment
18:27 Regret (Charatah) When Offering a Sacrifice
25:45 Radomsk Chasid’s Tragic Tale in Berlin
28:09 Existential Question: Who Are We Really?
30:03 Baal Shem Tov on Regret and the Heart
32:40 Scar Metaphor and Personal Reflection
34:01 Family Neglect on the Titanic
36:41 Reb Shlomo on Awakening and Desire
38:59 Korban Discussion in Masechet Taanit
44:49 Levi Music and Holy Nigunim Purpose
46:41 Donald Trump & Achashverosh
49:03 Closing Announcements and Shabbat Plans

As the war with Iran widens, Rav Shlomo Katz turns to one word in Parshat Ki Tisa that may define this moment more than any other: Ayeh — Where? Recent days have brought more Israeli strikes, Iranian missile attacks, and a growing sense that the conflict is both militarily real and spiritually overwhelming.

In this shiur, Rav Shlomo explores Moshe Rabbeinu’s cry after the Golden Calf — “Har’eini na et kevodecha” — and the deeper avodah of “Ayeh mekom kevodo.” Drawing on Reb Shlomo Carlebach and Rebbe Nachman, he explains how the deepest question of faith is not pretending everything is clear, but daring to ask Hashem, from within the confusion, “Where is the place of Your glory?”

From the aftermath of the Eigel HaZahav, to the hiddenness before Mashiach, to the spiritual danger of “smart” voices that speak falsehood in the name of truth, this episode is a call to stay focused, remain vulnerable, and turn confusion itself into a מקום כבודו — a place where Hashem’s presence can be revealed.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening Niggun and Prayer Invitation
04:37 Favorite Davening Words and Staying Focused
06:41 Introducing the Key Word Aye m'kom kevodo
09:50 Moshe’s Monologue Bringing Down Rachamim
12:32 Golden Calf, Mishkan, and Chronology Debate
15:59 Divine Hiddenness Before Mashiach
18:26 Future Intellectuals and the Call to Aye
26:57 Finding Hashem's Honor in Our Relationship
28:23 The World as a Spiritual Desert
30:13 Is the Desert Journey Lechatchila or Bediavad?
31:30 The Snake's Role in Humanity's Questioning
32:39 Simple Faith vs. Tested Faith
35:18 Ki Tisa: Begging Hashem’s Presence
37:59 Final Encouragement to the Community

As Purim approaches, Parshat Zachor arrives first—an annual call not only to remember Amalek historically, but to recognize Amalek as a force that shows up while you’re already on the way.

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore “asher karcha baderech” as the place where momentum gets sabotaged: the moment someone begins real growth, a convincing inner voice appears in the name of “realism,” “compassion,” and “I’m just trying to protect you”—and tells them to stop before they disappoint themselves again. Drawing on Rebbe Nachman (as brought by Reb Shlomo Carlebach), the shiur reframes Amalek as the cynicism that blocks follow-through, often disguised as care, sometimes from others, sometimes from friends, and often from within.

The conversation expands from personal avodah (minyan, change, consistency, courage to finish) to the national story of starting strong and being stopped mid-journey, and ends with Purim’s deeper promise: not only that evil can be erased, but that it’s possible to live, if only for a day, inside a reality where the “it’ll never happen” voice is gone.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

CHAPTERS
00:00 Personal Celebration and New Baby
02:22 Prelude to Purim: Parshat Zachor Importance
04:15 Challenge of Starting vs. Finishing
05:56 Amalek as Metaphor for Incompletion
08:42 Depth Behind Simple Hebrew Phrase
10:36 Rebbe Nachman on Wholehearted Service
13:27 Marriage Arrows: Cynical Chuppah Observers
21:31 Friends as Courage Boosters
23:02 Enemies Hidden Among Friends
24:04 Friends Discourage New Ideas
26:04 Friends as Greatest Enemies
28:15 Yossi’s Arabic-Script Picture Story
29:22 Amalek Among Decision Makers
31:02 Courage to Finish What You Start
33:30 Thoughts About People Reflect Thoughts About God
39:06 Purim as Erasing Amalek
42:17 Yom Kippur vs Purim Self-Reflection
47:43 Purim as the holiday of those who remember
49:21 ICC claims of Israeli genocide
50:48 Remembering Amalek's historical threat
52:01 Israel's solitary destiny prophecy
53:30 Call to march with confidence

In Parshas Terumah, the Torah details the measurements of the Mishkan — broken numbers, halves, small dimensions. Why?

In this powerful shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover a radical truth from Reb Shlomo: holy light doesn’t overpower small light. It awakens us to it.

What’s the difference between holy money and unholy money? Between a big donation and a small one? Between psychedelic light and a tiny flashlight?

From the Kotel built from “pennies” to the קול דממה דקה hidden inside the shofar blast, this teaching reframes how we see value, contribution, community, and even ourselves.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn the shocking Midrash from Parshat Yitro that says Am Yisrael were sleeping the night before receiving the Torah.

But Reb Shlomo Carlebach reveals something much deeper: it wasn’t laziness. It was small anava. The feeling of “Who am I to stand by Har Sinai?”

And Moshe Rabbeinu comes tent-to-tent with one last message before Torah can be given:

If you still see yourself as limited — if you’re still living inside “Beit Avadim,” the mindset of measuring and calculating what you think you’re capable of — don’t bother coming to Sinai.

Freedom isn’t “I do what I want.” Freedom is: I stop measuring. I stop disqualifying myself. I learn to believe that if Hashem is asking it from me, He believes in me.

This is the Torah of the night before Sinai: the moment we become people who can say Naaseh v’Nishma — not because we’re naïve, but because we’re finally free.
----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Chapters
00:00 Opening + sponsorships / setting the tone
02:40 Introducing Today’s Powerful Parshas Yisro Lesson
06:28 Analyzing the Key Word “Vayotze” in the Pasuk
08:40 Moshe’s Personal Mission: Visiting Every Tent
09:50 Alexander Rebbe on Becoming Moshe’s Students
13:04 Moshe’s First Argument with God over Leadership
16:16 Why Moshe No Longer Argues at Sinai
18:13 Identifying the First Sign of a Slave
23:05 Defining True Freedom versus Slavery
26:29 Doing It Even When You Doubt Your Ability
27:46 Marriage Prep: Overthinking Before the Commitment
29:33 From Beit Avadim to Freedom: First Pasuk Insight
30:58 Naaseh V’Nishma: Commitment Without…
34:34 Moshe’s Speech Impediment and the…
35:51 The Mitzvah to Tell Our Children About Exodus
39:29 Bas Mitzvah Story: Learning Through a Young Woman
41:05 Moshe’s Final Lesson Before Receiving the Torah

Parshas Bo is not just the story of leaving Egypt. It’s the inner blueprint of freedom.

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David opens an Even Shlomo that sounds “insane” at first: why does the Torah say “וישאלו איש מאת רעהו” — “ask from your friend” — when it’s describing Egyptians who enslaved us? Why call them re’ehu at all?

Because the night of Yetzias Mitzrayim wasn’t only an exit from suffering. It was a flash of Mashiach reality: a moment where Hashem’s light was so clear that no human being could be anyone’s master. Not Pharoah over Egypt. Not fear over your heart. Not people, not pressure, not addiction, not the invisible “dominions” that run our moods and reactions.

From the Alter Rebbe fainting at his Seder table, to what freedom looked like in the tunnels of Gaza, to what it means to carry da’as Hashem until it spreads outward, this shiur reframes geulah as the deepest kind of relationship: Hashem shining into us, and us shining back.

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Chapters
00:00 Intro and Sponsor Shoutouts
01:31 Choosing a Torah Topic for Parshas Bo
03:26 Who Is the “Re’ehu” in the Commandment?
04:40 Lenny Solomon Story and Cultural References
07:14 Flipping the Traditional Pshat
08:37 The Alter Rebbe’s Leil Seder
12:51 Modern Freedom and the Possibility of Geula
20:45 Egyptians’ View of the Night of Exodus
24:17 Moshiach and the Filling of Daas
25:59 Daas of Hashem Required for Global Peace
27:40 Egyptians Recognized Hashem as Their Master
28:42 Understanding “Re’ehu” — Asking an Equal
30:55 One Night of Moshiach-Like Equality
32:28 Breslover Chassid’s Tears and Dance
36:24 Filling Ourselves with Daas to Bring Redemption

This week in Even Shlomo on Parshat Va’era, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David go straight into the cry so many of us are holding: “Ribono Shel Olam… for what? Haven’t we been through enough?” Moshe Rabbeinu asks it too — and the answer isn’t a slogan, it’s a demand: Geulah is not “back to normal.”

Reb Shlomo teaches that the world’s “unnatural” situation can’t last forever — but the real question is what happens to us while we’re waiting. Do we settle for healthy, functional, status quo… or do we move into above nature: the place of an Eved Hashem, where Yiddishkeit isn’t routine, relationships aren’t “fine,” and a shul isn’t just a place to daven — it’s a center for dreaming Geulah.

Through a piercing story of Reb Shlomo saving a life, and then meeting a lifeguard who saved 26 and didn’t shine at all, we learn the difference between doing something because it’s your job… and doing it with your pnimiyus. And we end with the charge that builds everything: accountability, patience, chaverus, and a Ruach Se’arah — a stormy spirit inside keilim — to carry this community (and our lives) beyond “normal.”

----------
For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

Chapters

0:00 Opening dedication and sponsors
1:17 Why does suffering continue?
2:45 Moshe’s dialogue with Hashem
4:36 Maharal: the unnatural has a limit
7:43 Natural vs. normal (and “status quo”)
13:12 Eved vs. Oved Hashem (Tanya)
24:07 The nature of true revelation
25:16 Moshe’s imagined dialogue with Pharaoh
26:19 Moshe’s question: “For what?”
27:58 Imagining a miracle in Iran
29:09 Why continue suffering? Moshe’s inquiry
30:54 Moshe seeks the nature of future redemption
32:49 Call for deeper commitment
35:55 Lifeguard story: “26 lives saved”
37:00 Service as job vs. spiritual involvement
45:18 Understanding Avodah Zarah (the “zarah to you” definition)
46:34 Avoiding spiritual estrangement (not a stranger to God)
48:19 Taking responsibility + helping the hungry
49:29 Exodus vs. returning to Eretz Yisrael
50:50 House of Love & Prayer vision
52:39 Removing Avodah Zarah from our kehillah
54:17 Ruach Se’arah (Rav Weinberger)
55:36 Inner pulse of chevra for redemption