Hachana L'Shabbos

Rav Shlomo Katz

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JUDAISM
UPDATED WEEKLY

What type of rest do we yearn for on Shabbat? How do we frame our mindset during the week to prepare for Shabbat and how can we transform our Shabbat experience? Using the teachings of Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, a leading Breslov Rabbi, in his sefer Yom Machmadim, we build tools towards enhancing our ability to connect to the day of rest.

1H AGO

A Shabbos Zachor Above the Heavens

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David enter Shabbos Zachor in a moment unlike any other. There has never been a Shabbos Zachor like this one. Not in our lifetimes. Drawing from the Maggid of Mezeritch, Rav Biderman, the Ishbitzer Rebbes, and the holy Tiferes Shmuel, we explore Amalek’s true war — not against belief in God, but against belief in hashgacha pratis. Not “Does God exist?” but “Is He involved?” Amalek cools us off. He whispers: It’s all a coincidence. It’s all mitachas haShamayim. But the Torah commands us: Timcheh es zecher Amalek mitachas haShamayim. Wipe out the voice that says this world runs on its own. Through Moshe Rabbeinu lifting his hands, through the avodah of looking me’al haShamayim, we learn that the weapon against Amalek today is not panic, not argument, but strengthened emunah peshutah. Pure faith in a precise script. There is a script. You are not here by accident. This Shabbos Zachor, we choose to look up.----------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 Dedication, Sponsors, and Opening Niggun04:44 Finishing the Current Sefer and Looking Ahead11:57 Amalek’s Challenge: Hashgacha Pratis vs. Klalis22:18 Shiva House Story and Final Reflections27:45 Moshe on the Mountaintop Inspires Israel29:16 Reb Shlomo’s Quick Glance in Jerusalem30:24 Stuck in Mitachas Hashomayim – The Problem31:54 Shabbat Blessing and Hope for Me'ala Hashomayim

33 min
FEB 20

Ultimate Trust in the One Above

This week in Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David take us deeper into the “benching series” with a powerful focus on bitachon—what it really means to trust Hashem, and how that trust changes a person from the inside out. Starting from the words we sing and say so often—“Baruch HaGever asher yivtach baHashem”—we explore why the pasuk repeats itself, and how Chazal read that repetition as a map of ultimate trust: not just believing in Hashem, but letting Hashem become the only “support beam” you’re leaning on. Along the way we move through a sweeping set of sources—Midrash, Rav Pinchas of Koretz, the Maggid, Arugas HaBosem, Sfas Emes, and the Modzhitzer Rebbe—until we land on the real test Rav Shlomo keeps returning to: If your trust is real… does it make you more calm, more alive, and even more joyful—right now?----------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 Nigun and Chant05:40 Yizkor and Yahrzeits Introduction07:09 Benching Depth and the Table of Gold11:38 Midrash on Trust and Godlikeness16:52 Rav Biderman on Extreme Bitachon25:24 Personal encounter with Reb Biderman and unique…26:38 Observations on others’ perceived laziness and…28:46 Three differing opinions on bitachon presented40:53 Sfas Emes perspective on ultimate trust and…43:52 Addressing Yossi’s question about “ani that doesn’t take”45:44 Modzhitzer Rebbe’s insight on desperation vs genuine…47:53 Rav Biderman on the purpose of bitachon49:06 Trust Amid Despair and Lost Hope50:20 Harder Than Arugas Habosem: True Trust51:23 Why This Trust Is the Hardest

52 min
FEB 6

Acquiring Yirat Hashem

What does it really mean to acquire Yirat Hashem without becoming anxious, rigid, or spiritually “small”? In this Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David zoom in on the words we often rush past near the end of bentching: “Yiru es Hashem kedoshav, ki ein machsor l’yire’av.” Rav Biederman brings a powerful teaching בשם בית אהרן מקרלין: if a person is truly chasing Yirat Shamayim, nothing is missing — spiritually and emotionally. From there we open Rav Kook’s Middot HaRa’ayah and discover a surprising definition: real Yirah doesn’t weaken you. It gives oz v’gevurah, fills life with purpose and big aspirations, and elevates your talents with the light of a holy fire. And we clarify the essential distinction between fear-based Yirah (sometimes necessary as a guardrail) and Yirat Romemut — a higher awe that comes with ahavah and an inner Eden. A practical, uplifting reframing of Yirat Hashem so your avodah leaves you feeling more alive, more courageous, and more connected.----------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 Nigun and Shabbat Greeting 01:43 Shabbat Welcome and Sponsorship 03:21 Benching Structure and the Rise Toward Mashiach 17:15 Exploring Kinyan Yirat Shamayim 19:26 Rav Kook on the Nature of Yirat Hashem 25:58 Distinguishing Fear from Awe in Yirat Hashem 27:12 Seeing Hashem Everywhere: a New View of Yirat Hashem 28:36 Fear (Eimah) Triggered by Seeing Hashem in Sin 30:58 Distinguishing Yirat Chet from Yirat Shamayim 36:49 Rambam vs. Ra’avad on Visualizing Kisse Hakavod 37:55 Rav Kook on Visualization for Higher Yirat Hashem 41:10 Yirat Romemut: Love and Inner Eden 42:18 Closing Blessing and Niggun for Yirat Romemut

43 min
JAN 30

The Gates that Open During Bentching

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat Davud open a window into what really happens when we bentch. Drawing from the Baal Shem Tov, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, the Chofetz Chaim, and Rabbeinu Bachya, we discover that Birkat HaMazon is not just gratitude after a meal. It is an eis ratzon, a moment when gates open in Shamayim. When a mitzvah d’Oraita is fulfilled with presence and kavana, something shifts. A person is no longer standing in the same place. And once the gates are open, the question becomes: do we walk through them? We explore why Chazal placed the Harachaman tefillos specifically after bentching, how true satiation comes from blessing rather than food, and how a Jew is invited to pour their deepest bakashos into the words of Birkat HaMazon. This is a shiur about trust, dependence on Hashem, and learning to recognize when Heaven is quietly saying: now is the moment. May we learn to slow down, to stay present, and to walk fully through the gates that open before us. ----------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 Chapters 00:00 Niggun of the Baal Shem Tov01:50 The Completeness of Torah: תורת השם תמימה04:01 Blood Donation Example and Bentching Kavana06:27 Ikar, Tefillah, and Dependence on Hashem11:27 Harachaman After Birkat HaMazon13:14 Minhag of Stopping at Yachasreinu14:41 Benching Opens Gates to Heaven36:48 Metzius and Davening Climax38:24 Rabbi Chaya on Mitzvah Timing40:46 Benching Series and Shabbos Focus

42 min
JAN 23

The REAL Satiation of Food

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David step into a quiet but radical idea: food doesn’t truly satiate a Jew — blessing does. Beginning with niggun and moving into the inner meaning of Birchas HaMazon, we learn from Reb Shlomo of Karlin that “vesavata” doesn’t come from eating alone, but from uverachta. The real fullness is not physical; it’s spiritual. Through Chazal, Chassidus, and a powerful story carried through generations, this shiur reframes benching as the heart of Jewish life — our past, our survival, and our future. When blessing is said slowly, with presence and kavana, it becomes a source of sustenance, dignity, and quiet strength that no circumstance can take away. This is a preparation for Shabbos, and for living with inner satiation all week long. ----------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 Chapters 00:00 Opening Niggun02:15 Shabbos as the Source of All Holiness05:10 Birchas HaMazon as the Story of Am Yisrael09:30 Why Benching Requires More Kavana Than Tefillah14:05 Mitzvos With “Mazal” — and One Without18:40 The Real Meaning of “Ve’Achalta Ve’Savata”22:55 Reb Shlomo of Karlin on True Satiation27:10 A Story of Survival Through Birchas HaMazon34:20 What Sustains a Jew Through Everything38:45 Bringing This Consciousness Into Shabbos

36 min
JAN 16

The Calm that Follows Waking Up from Certain Dreams

There’s a certain kind of dream that leaves you with a pounding heart… and then you wake up, and the room is quiet, and you realize: it wasn’t real. And in that quiet, in that calm, there’s a taste of what Dovid HaMelech calls “היינו כחולמים”. In this week’s Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open up a life-changing lens from the Beis Avraham of Slonim and Rav Biederman: the ultimate Redemption won’t only be that things get better moving forward. Part of the redemption is that we’ll be able to look back and see that even the darkest chapters were never random. Not “hakol tov (It's All Good).” Sometimes it’s not. But hakol letovah (It's All For The Good). And there’s a world of emunah inside that one small shift. We speak honestly about pain, and still we learn the avodah of holding on: to keep doing mitzvos, to keep praying, to keep singing… until the day comes when the heart can finally exhale and say: I thought it was the end… and it was part of the plan. May this Shabbos bring us that calm, the calm that follows waking up, and may it open the door to simcha shel mitzvah, even inside the mess.----------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 CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening Niggunim 06:40 Comment on the Niggun MakSim 26:02 The Nuance of “Hakol Tov” vs “Hakol Letovah” 27:16 Rav Biederman’s Message on Meaningful Suffering 28:34 Everyday Labor as a Path to Shabbat Honor 35:51 Finding Joy Despite Pain: The Reason God Blesses Us 41:32 Choosing Halachic Paths: Haloch Yeilech vs Bo Yavo Berina

44 min
JAN 9

Escorting the Queen

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore the avodah of Melave Malka not as a custom but as an act of love. Drawing from Shulchan Aruch, Gemara, the Rizhiner Rebbe, and the Shlah HaKadosh, we learn that escorting the Shabbos Queen is not about leftovers or convenience, but about honoring the Presence that filled our homes for twenty-five hours. Melave Malka stands as its own seudah—mutzav artza, v’rosho magia ha’shamayma—rooted in the weekday yet reaching Heaven. Through niggun, food, and consciousness, we discover how Motzei Shabbos becomes the bridge between holiness and ordinary life, and how angels ascend and descend with us each week. When we escort Shabbos with song, intention, and kavod, the light of Shabbos does not leave, it lingers. This shiur invites us to slow the goodbye, to sing the Queen out gently, and to begin the week with dignity, simcha, and blessing. — For more shiurim and music from Rav Shlomo Katz: https://ravshlomokatz.com Join the WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t Chapters / Timestamps 00:03 – Opening Niggun: “Esa Einai El Heharim” 04:05 – A New Hanan Niggun: “Rachmana Libba Ba’ei” 09:23 – From Song to Torah 12:57 – What Is the Seuda of Motzei Shabbos? 14:19 – Shulchan Aruch: Escorting Shabbos with a Seuda 16:33 – Maharsha: Why Leftovers Don’t Count 22:16 – The Rizhiner Rebbe: The Ladder of Melave Malka 26:34 – Angels Ascending and Descending 29:16 – Escorting the Queen with Song 31:24 – Delaying the Goodbye: Tosefet Shabbos 33:00 – The Gra’s Rebbetzin and the Power of Melave Malka 36:10 – Closing Reflections and Practical Kabbalah

37 min
JAN 2

Motzei Shabbos Folding

Motzei Shabbos is often the most fragile moment of the week — when the light of Shabbos fades and old patterns rush back in. In this week’s Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn a deceptively simple avodah that can transform the entire week ahead: folding. Drawing from the Be’er Mayim Chaim, we learn that folding the tallis on Motzei Shabbos isn’t just a custom. It’s a spiritual practice. Just as a tallis is folded again and again until it rests properly, so too real shalom bayis is built through repeated acts of humility and restraint. We explore: Why peace only enters a home after a person steps back from their “makom”How letting go — especially when you’re right — creates true blessingWhy spilled wine, folded fabric, and Motzei Shabbos habits set the tone for the entire weekHow v’tur doesn’t erase truth, but allows truth to be heardMay we merit to carry the kedusha of Shabbos into Motzei Shabbos, and to begin each week with menuchas hanefesh, shalva, and bracha. ----------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

31 min

What type of rest do we yearn for on Shabbat? How do we frame our mindset during the week to prepare for Shabbat and how can we transform our Shabbat experience? Using the teachings of Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, a leading Breslov Rabbi, in his sefer Yom Machmadim, we build tools towards enhancing our ability to connect to the day of rest.

Creator

Rav Shlomo Katz
Years Active

2023 - 2026
Episodes

103
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© Shirat David
Show Website

Hachana L'Shabbos