The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz

Rav Shlomo Katz
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The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz is a series based on Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, opening up the Torah of מלחמה ושלום for the times we are living in right now. In these episodes, Rav Shlomo explores the halachic, biblical, and inner spiritual foundations of war, courage, national responsibility, emunah, and redemption. Through the lens of Tanach, Chazal, and the living reality of Am Yisrael, this series asks: How is a Jew meant to think, feel, pray, and act in a time of מלחמה? What does true gevurah look like? How do we fight evil without losing humility? And how do war, mesirus nefesh, and miracles become part of the unfolding geulah?

  1. 19. Can We Rely on Miracles?

    22 hrs ago

    19. Can We Rely on Miracles?

    Can a Jewish leader take a massive risk in order to save the Jewish people? Or does Torah demand that we avoid relying on miracles? In this final shiur of the season, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore one of the deepest and most sensitive questions in Jewish history: Was it permissible for Ben-Gurion to declare the State of Israel when the odds of survival seemed impossible? Beginning with the story of Matityahu and the Maccabees, the shiur examines the Torah's approach to military risk, faith, and leadership. Why did some great rabbanim oppose Zionism? How should we understand those positions today? And how do Torah leaders balance military expertise with spiritual vision when making decisions that affect the lives of an entire nation? Along the way, Rav Shlomo reflects on the divisions within Am Yisrael, the legacy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, Oslo, Iran, and the ongoing challenge of building a Jewish future rooted in both faith and responsibility. ----------For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro, Dedications, and a Grandfather's Yahrzeit03:15 - Can a Military General Halachically Take Risks?08:45 - The Spiritual Roots of Anti-Zionism and Finding True Unity16:20 - Ben Gurion's 1948 Declaration: A Miracle or a Gamble?24:00 - Stop Settling: Living "L'chatchila" vs. "Bedieved"35:30 - Bombing Iran and the Modern Miracles We Take for Granted43:15 - Dovid HaMelech's Council: Balancing Strategy and the Sanhedrin52:00 - Bottom-Up Brotherhood: What God Really Wants to Hear

    48 min
  2. 18. Who Shouldn't Serve in the Army?

    2d ago

    18. Who Shouldn't Serve in the Army?

    Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David dive into the heart of the current debate surrounding the IDF draft and Torah study. Seeking a "brand new light" to heal the divisiveness, the Shiur explores the historical precedents of Avraham and King Asa, who were both punished for taking Torah scholars out to war. Rav Shlomo addresses the complex realities on both sides: the genuine fear of spiritual decline in the army, balanced against the ultimate mitzvah of saving lives (Pikuach Nefesh) and the reality that the Shechinah (Divine Presence) dwells in the army camp. Exploring the nuanced rulings of Rav Moshe Feinstein and the successful model of Hesder yeshivas, this episode calls for a massive paradigm shift and a bottom-up spiritual awakening.----------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 CHAPTERS00:00 - Intro, Dedications, and a Grandfather's Story04:15 - The Most Sensitive Sugia: The Draft and Torah Study08:30 - Why Avraham and King Asa Were Punished for Drafting Scholars15:00 - What if the Media Actually Interviewed the Yeshivas?21:45 - The Greater War: Eradicating the Spirit of Hamas28:20 - What Rav Moshe Feinstein Actually Wrote About Exemptions35:00 - A Soldier's Perspective & The Hesder Yeshiva Model41:15 - The Shechinah in the Army Camp and Pikuach Nefesh

    54 min
  3. 17. Can a Jew Sit on the Sidelines During a War?

    Jun 17

    17. Can a Jew Sit on the Sidelines During a War?

    One of the most powerful sections in all of Tanach is not a battle.It's the song that comes after it. Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore Shirat Devorah and the extraordinary way Devorah HaNeviah speaks about those who came to help Am Yisrael in a time of war—and those who chose not to. Why does Devorah bless Yael alongside Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah? Why are some tribes praised while others are sharply rebuked? And why does Chazal derive the laws of nidui and cherem from Devorah's response to those who stayed on the sidelines? Moving beyond technical halachic discussions, this shiur asks a deeper question: What does the Torah expect from us when Jews are under attack? ----------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: Page 78 and the General Principle01:33 Introducing Shirat Devorah and Its Context03:25 Blessings to Tribes and Yael in the Song05:07 Rashi on Women's Blessings and the Holy Mothers07:44 Understanding Nidui – Excommunication Concept08:54 Devorah's Rebuke to Non-Participating Tribes11:57 Modern Parallel: Blessings vs Obligations15:05 Halachic Details of Nidui and Cherem20:56 Contemporary Solutions and Government Policies23:29 Need for a Spiritual Revolution, Not Tactics25:59 Women in the Tanks & Supreme Court Decision28:03 Judicial Reform and Democracy Debate30:10 Halachic Limits on Excommunication (Cherem)32:27 Moses, Gad & Reuven: Refusal to Fight35:16 Rambam on Running Away: Slashing the Shin36:43 Universal Attack Overrides Political Divides41:09 Gedolim's Vision: Torah-Based Army Leadership

    44 min
  4. 16. The Draft Debate and the Meaning of Shevet Levi

    Jun 10

    16. The Draft Debate and the Meaning of Shevet Levi

    The conversation around drafting yeshiva students often begins with opinions. This shiur begins with Torah. Continuing the exploration of one of the most sensitive issues facing Am Yisrael, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David examine the Rambam's famous discussion of Shevet Levi and the claim that Torah learners occupy a unique role within the Jewish people. But does the Rambam actually exempt Torah learners from military service? Why doesn't he explicitly say so? Why were all the other tribes counted among those who went out to war? And what can we learn from the surprising role of Kohanim in Jewish battles throughout Tanach and Chazal? Rather than offering slogans or easy answers, this shiur uncovers the deeper roots of the debate and challenges listeners to approach the subject with humility, seriousness, and a genuine search for truth. ----------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 CHAPTERS00:00 Sponsor Acknowledgments and Opening Blessings01:02 Introducing the Sensitive Draft Topic and Its Controversy04:05 Recap: Counting of Am Yisrael and Shevet Levi06:43 Rambam on Learners' Exemption from Military Service09:14 Clarifying Rambam's Language – Questions from the Class23:22 Kohanim Participation in Biblical Wars25:37 Pachad Reality: Why Kohanim Couldn't Fight26:41 Who Can Claim Levi Status More Than a Kohen?28:02 Proofs That Kohanim Actually Served in Battle30:11 The Halachic Question of Kohen with Yefat Toar34:15 Modern Tzahal: Non-Combat Soldiers and Kohen Issues44:19 Closing Thoughts and Ongoing Questions

    45 min
  5. 15. Can We Talk About the Draft Without Hating Each Other?

    Jun 3

    15. Can We Talk About the Draft Without Hating Each Other?

    Few conversations in Israel today are more painful, emotional, or explosive than the question of drafting yeshiva students into the army. But in this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz insists on approaching the topic not through politics, anger, or slogans — but through Torah. Beginning with the census of מלחמה in Sefer Bamidbar, the role of Shevet Levi, the Rambam’s understanding of Torah leadership, and the relationship between mesirus nefesh and השראת השכינה, the conversation becomes an honest and vulnerable exploration of responsibility, achdus, and what it means to carry the burden of Am Yisrael together. More than anything, this shiur wrestles with the emotional and spiritual fracture inside Am Yisrael itself, and the challenge of remaining rooted in ahavat Yisrael even during the hardest disagreements imaginable. ----------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 Dedication of Niggun for Yonatan Razel's Recovery04:31 Introducing the Hot Issue: Drafting Yeshiva Students06:32 Biblical Basis: Counting Soldiers in the Desert08:59 Shechina Linked to Census and the Army14:36 Why Shevet Levi Isn’t Counted in the Military Census21:17 Teaching Style: Speaking the Language of the Audience26:34 Rambam’s Description of the Levites’ Role27:57 Levi’s Mission Beyond Combat According to Rambam29:39 Amalek Analogy in Modern Discussion30:54 Levi Exemption Explained: Their Sacred Duty41:29 Contemporary Charedi Attitudes Toward Military Service50:13 Call for Vulnerability and Community Action51:22 Amalek Metaphor and the Need for Resilience

    52 min
  6. 14. The Torah Knows Jews Are Too Compassionate for This War

    Jun 1

    14. The Torah Knows Jews Are Too Compassionate for This War

    “We are rachmanim bnei rachmanim.” Again and again throughout this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David return to that reality: the Jewish people are compassionate by nature. And precisely because of that, the Torah forces us to confront Amalek over and over again. Moving through Shaul HaMelech’s mercy on Agag, the obligation of Parshas Zachor, October 7th, the moral confusion surrounding modern warfare, and Rav Shmuel Eliyahu’s understanding of Amalek in our generation, this conversation wrestles honestly with one of the hardest Torah topics imaginable. Not as a political discussion. Not as slogans. But as Torah. A raw and emotionally charged shiur about compassion, survival, responsibility, and why the Torah insists that evil must still be recognized clearly, even by a people whose instinct is mercy. ----------For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t CHAPTERS00:00 Opening Sponsorships and Memorials01:37 Brandon’s Question: Call to Action for Shlav Bet04:21 Compassion and the Obligation to Eradicate Amalek07:39 Recent Chayal Killed in Lebanon — A Tragedy09:27 The Danger of Forgetting Amalek and Shaul’s Failure15:16 Gemara on Yoav Killing Only Amalek Males17:03 Modern Amalek: Estimating Numbers in Gaza20:28 Halacha: Prioritizing Parshas Zachor Over Megillah23:21 The Moral Question of Conscripting Our Youth26:27 Why Parshas Zachor Holds a Solemn Obligation27:29 Listening to the Cry of the Yishmaeli Child35:21 Modern Definition of Amalek: From Nations to Individuals40:12 Category Errors in the Amalek Debate42:19 First Aid Priority: The Collapsed Building Lesson45:16 Identifying Threats Beyond Amalek46:38 Root Issue: Rebuilding the Temple49:11 Redefining Amalek in Modern Context50:43 Drawing the Line on Individual Amalek54:57 Essential Mitzvah: Survival (V’chai Bahem)56:08 Choosing the Voice for Change57:11 Importance of Parshas Zachor Reminder

    1h 1m
  7. 13. Amalek: What Can We Actually Do Today?

    May 27

    13. Amalek: What Can We Actually Do Today?

    After learning about Amalek in theory, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David turn to the question everyone eventually reaches: So what are we actually supposed to do with this? This is not a shiur about slogans or politics. It’s an honest conversation about galus mentality, October 7th, “quiet for quiet,” fear, leadership, and whether Am Yisrael is emotionally prepared to confront evil without falling back into illusion. Moving between Rav Soloveitchik, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, the failures of Oslo, and the spiritual confusion of modern Jewish life, Rav Shlomo explores why clarity itself has become one of the hardest things for Jews to hold onto — and why the next generation may be forced to think differently. ----------For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t CHAPTERS00:00 Opening Sponsorship and Memorials01:36 Historical Context of Amalek’s Attack03:44 Rav Soloveitchik and Modern Amalek05:21 Hamas, ISIS, Iran, and Amalek Ideology08:52 Peace Talks vs. “Quiet for Quiet”11:39 Berl Katznelson on Palestinian Nazism13:39 Ideology as a Contagious Disease18:20 Why Jews Also Struggle With Clarity21:32 Balfour, San Remo, and the Return to Eretz Yisrael22:40 Bibi’s Framing of the War27:18 Germany, Edom, and the Gemara in Megillah31:52 Radical Islam and the Desire to Destroy the World36:12 Why “Quiet for Quiet” Failed40:28 Galus Mentality and Jewish Confusion44:14 Can We Still Live Inside Illusions?47:45 Unrealistic Long-Term Vision vs. Immediate Action50:15 The Younger Generation Needs Different Leadership51:22 Should We Build — Or Wait?53:12 Combating Pessimism and Building the Future54:47 Bottom-Up Change and Empowering the Next Generation56:08 A Practical Step Forward57:36 Closing Thoughts and Blessing

    58 min
  8. 12. Does Amalek Exist Today?

    May 25

    12. Does Amalek Exist Today?

    In this deeply charged shiur, Rav Shlomo explores one of the most difficult and misunderstood sugyos in Torah: Amalek. Through the writings of the Rambam, Ramban, and Rav Soloveitchik, the conversation moves beyond slogans and politics into the deeper Torah question: what does Amalek actually mean in our generation? Is Amalek only an ancient nation that disappeared long ago, or is there still a spiritual and national force in the world whose entire identity is rooted in hatred of Am Yisrael? This episode wrestles honestly with memory, morality, מלחמת מצוה, October 7th, and the responsibility of Jews to learn these sugyos from Torah rather than from emotion alone. A difficult but essential conversation for this moment in Jewish history. ----------For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t CHAPTERS00:00 Opening Blessings and Introduction02:18 “What Ceasefire?” — Amalek After October 7th05:04 Chayalim Asking: Is This Milchemet Amalek?07:28 Rambam: The Mitzvah to Remember Amalek10:42 Why the Torah Commands Us to Awaken Hatred of Amalek14:11 Shaul HaMelech and the War Against Amalek17:32 Holocaust Memory and “Never Forget”21:06 Ramban: Why Amalek Still Exists24:48 Sancheriv and the Confusion of Nations27:50 Amalek as the First and Final War31:12 Edom, Exile, and Modern Enemies of Israel35:28 Rav Soloveitchik on Amalek in Every Generation39:44 Hamas, Iran, and the Question of Amalek Today43:18 Compassion, Confusion, and Torah Clarity45:50 Darshening Rav Soloveitchik on Amalek’s Continued Existence47:03 Lo Tishkach: Torah’s Eternity and the Power of Stories48:25 Conclusion: Learning from the Rishonim and Continuing the Discussion

    49 min
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The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz is a series based on Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, opening up the Torah of מלחמה ושלום for the times we are living in right now. In these episodes, Rav Shlomo explores the halachic, biblical, and inner spiritual foundations of war, courage, national responsibility, emunah, and redemption. Through the lens of Tanach, Chazal, and the living reality of Am Yisrael, this series asks: How is a Jew meant to think, feel, pray, and act in a time of מלחמה? What does true gevurah look like? How do we fight evil without losing humility? And how do war, mesirus nefesh, and miracles become part of the unfolding geulah?

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