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 Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore why Shabbos HaGadol is not named for the date, but for the day, and what that reveals about the כוח of Shabbos to transform who we are.

From the teachings of the Ohev Yisrael, we learn that Shabbos is not just a day of rest. It’s the מקור הברכה, the place where a person becomes someone capable of דברים שלא חלמתי עליהם.

And maybe the biggest avodah right now?

To stop stuttering.

To speak clearly, to our אויבים, to our children, and even to ourselves, about who we are and why we’re here.

May this Shabbos give us the כח to live, to believe, and to speak… clearly.
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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening niggun & reflection
02:54 Looking back at past Shabbos HaGadol
06:33 Why it’s called Shabbos HaGadol
14:08 Why the miracle is tied to Shabbos (not the date)
17:17 The Ohev Yisrael on timing & כוח
20:07 Shabbos HaGadol as a spiritual launchpad
22:48 The role of drashos & speaking clearly

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,” the “better version” of yourself, or the return of the so-called “good old days.” The mitzvah of Hachodesh hazeh lachem was given דווקא in Mitzrayim to teach us that renewal begins in the mud, in the constriction, in the place where a person feels most stuck.

Rav Shlomo explores the danger of becoming a matzevah—a fixed monument to your old self—and the holiness of small acts of mesirus nefesh that open the gates to real growth.

From the symbolism of fish scales swimming against the current, to the challenge of not letting yesterday enslave today, this is a powerful preparation for entering Shabbos Hachodesh with courage, honesty, and hope.

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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening encouragement for Shabbat preparation
01:44 Yahrtzeit reminder and linking to Chiddushei Harim
04:45 Renewal is in our hands – Chiddushei Harim quote
15:00 Reb Nosson on grabbing moments for spiritual growth
19:16 Small actions as the catalyst for true hischadshus
23:58 Aliyah as a Matzevah: Growing Beyond Past Selves
24:59 Finding the Middle Path Between Matzevah and Asherah
27:59 Avoiding the Mask: Don't Create a God of Yourself
29:48 Fish Scales as Symbols of Purity Against the Current
32:34 Rethinking Prime Years: Beyond Shana Aleph
35:54 Seizing the Moment for Mesirus Nefesh

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.
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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Dedication, Sponsors, and Opening Niggun
04:44 Finishing the Current Sefer and Looking Ahead
11:57 Amalek’s Challenge: Hashgacha Pratis vs. Klalis
22:18 Shiva House Story and Final Reflections
27:45 Moshe on the Mountaintop Inspires Israel
29:16 Reb Shlomo’s Quick Glance in Jerusalem
30:24 Stuck in Mitachas Hashomayim – The Problem
31:54 Shabbat Blessing and Hope for Me'ala Hashomayim

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?
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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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Chapters
00:00 Opening Nigun and Chant
05:40 Yizkor and Yahrzeits Introduction
07:09 Benching Depth and the Table of Gold
11:38 Midrash on Trust and Godlikeness
16:52 Rav Biderman on Extreme Bitachon
25:24 Personal encounter with Reb Biderman and unique…
26:38 Observations on others’ perceived laziness and…
28:46 Three differing opinions on bitachon presented
40:53 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 bitachon
49:06 Trust Amid Despair and Lost Hope
50:20 Harder Than Arugas Habosem: True Trust
51:23 Why This Trust Is the Hardest

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.
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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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CHAPTERS
00:00 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

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.

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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 Niggun of the Baal Shem Tov
01:50 The Completeness of Torah: תורת השם תמימה
04:01 Blood Donation Example and Bentching Kavana
06:27 Ikar, Tefillah, and Dependence on Hashem
11:27 Harachaman After Birkat HaMazon
13:14 Minhag of Stopping at Yachasreinu
14:41 Benching Opens Gates to Heaven
36:48 Metzius and Davening Climax
38:24 Rabbi Chaya on Mitzvah Timing
40:46 Benching Series and Shabbos Focus

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.

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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
02:15 Shabbos as the Source of All Holiness
05:10 Birchas HaMazon as the Story of Am Yisrael
09:30 Why Benching Requires More Kavana Than Tefillah
14:05 Mitzvos With “Mazal” — and One Without
18:40 The Real Meaning of “Ve’Achalta Ve’Savata”
22:55 Reb Shlomo of Karlin on True Satiation
27:10 A Story of Survival Through Birchas HaMazon
34:20 What Sustains a Jew Through Everything
38:45 Bringing This Consciousness Into Shabbos

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.
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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 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