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

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.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_tCHAPTERS00:00 Opening Niggun and Sponsorships14:34 Bechukotai and the Depth of Connection16:56 Achieving Bechukotai Through Not Humiliating Others18:10 Uncertainty About Others' Struggles22:01 Understanding Chokim and Human Reason24:24 Sefirat HaOmer as Daily Spiritual Growth26:07 Consequences of Missing Omer Counting27:09 Friendship as the Essence of Omer Counting40:48 Bottom-Up Influence of Friendship

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.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_tCHAPTERS00:00 Opening and Sponsorship Announcements01:17 Shlomo Hamelech and Mastery of Tazria/Metzora03:29 Why the Torah Calls the Afflicted ‘Adam’06:58 Disappointment Leads to Anger and Lashon Hara08:51 Isolation and Hitbodedut as the Remedy12:40 The Skin Metaphor and the Meaning of Tzaraat20:42 Final Blessing: Softening Our Hardened Skins

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.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_tCHAPTERS00:00 Opening Niggun: Divine Presence Fills and Sustains the World10:21 Introducing Today’s Special Shiur on Parshat Vayikra11:36 The Blessing of Prioritizing What Truly Matters13:03 Inner Essence of the Korban: Clarity After the Temple15:43 Current Turmoil: Storms, Bombs, and Spiritual Discernment18:27 Regret (Charatah) When Offering a Sacrifice25:45 Radomsk Chasid’s Tragic Tale in Berlin28:09 Existential Question: Who Are We Really?30:03 Baal Shem Tov on Regret and the Heart32:40 Scar Metaphor and Personal Reflection34:01 Family Neglect on the Titanic36:41 Reb Shlomo on Awakening and Desire38:59 Korban Discussion in Masechet Taanit44:49 Levi Music and Holy Nigunim Purpose46:41 Donald Trump & Achashverosh49:03 Closing Announcements and Shabbat Plans

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.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_tCHAPTERS00:00 Personal Celebration and New Baby02:22 Prelude to Purim: Parshat Zachor Importance04:15 Challenge of Starting vs. Finishing05:56 Amalek as Metaphor for Incompletion08:42 Depth Behind Simple Hebrew Phrase10:36 Rebbe Nachman on Wholehearted Service13:27 Marriage Arrows: Cynical Chuppah Observers21:31 Friends as Courage Boosters23:02 Enemies Hidden Among Friends24:04 Friends Discourage New Ideas26:04 Friends as Greatest Enemies28:15 Yossi’s Arabic-Script Picture Story29:22 Amalek Among Decision Makers31:02 Courage to Finish What You Start33:30 Thoughts About People Reflect Thoughts About God39:06 Purim as Erasing Amalek42:17 Yom Kippur vs Purim Self-Reflection47:43 Purim as the holiday of those who remember49:21 ICC claims of Israeli genocide50:48 Remembering Amalek's historical threat52:01 Israel's solitary destiny prophecy53:30 Call to march with confidence

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.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_tChapters00:00 Opening + sponsorships / setting the tone02:40 Introducing Today’s Powerful Parshas Yisro Lesson06:28 Analyzing the Key Word “Vayotze” in the Pasuk08:40 Moshe’s Personal Mission: Visiting Every Tent09:50 Alexander Rebbe on Becoming Moshe’s Students13:04 Moshe’s First Argument with God over Leadership 16:16 Why Moshe No Longer Argues at Sinai18:13 Identifying the First Sign of a Slave23:05 Defining True Freedom versus Slavery26:29 Doing It Even When You Doubt Your Ability27:46 Marriage Prep: Overthinking Before the Commitment29:33 From Beit Avadim to Freedom: First Pasuk Insight30:58 Naaseh V’Nishma: Commitment Without…34:34 Moshe’s Speech Impediment and the…35:51 The Mitzvah to Tell Our Children About Exodus39:29 Bas Mitzvah Story: Learning Through a Young Woman41:05 Moshe’s Final Lesson Before Receiving the Torah

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.comJoin Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_tChapters0:00 Opening dedication and sponsors1:17 Why does suffering continue?2:45 Moshe’s dialogue with Hashem4:36 Maharal: the unnatural has a limit7:43 Natural vs. normal (and “status quo”)13:12 Eved vs. Oved Hashem (Tanya)24:07 The nature of true revelation25:16 Moshe’s imagined dialogue with Pharaoh26:19 Moshe’s question: “For what?”27:58 Imagining a miracle in Iran29:09 Why continue suffering? Moshe’s inquiry30:54 Moshe seeks the nature of future redemption32:49 Call for deeper commitment35:55 Lifeguard story: “26 lives saved”37:00 Service as job vs. spiritual involvement45:18 Understanding Avodah Zarah (the “zarah to you” definition)46:34 Avoiding spiritual estrangement (not a stranger to God)48:19 Taking responsibility + helping the hungry49:29 Exodus vs. returning to Eretz Yisrael50:50 House of Love & Prayer vision52:39 Removing Avodah Zarah from our kehillah54:17 Ruach Se’arah (Rav Weinberger)55:36 Inner pulse of chevra for redemption

In Parashat Vayechi, Yaakov Avinu gathers his children for what feels like the ultimate “final download” — He’asfu… and I’ll tell you what will happen at the end of days. And then… it disappears. Nistalka mimenu haShechinah.In this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn a short but life-shaping Torah from Even Shlomo: sometimes the deepest clarity isn’t prophecy at all. It’s the holy not knowing that opens a person into yearning, into tefillah, into real closeness.We speak about what a parent wants most for their children, why “knowing how it’ll all turn out” can quietly shut down the heart, and why the night, when you can’t see clearly, can bring out the deepest kind of sight: “וכל עין לך תצפה” — a life of yearning.----------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#rsk-vayechi

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open parshat Vayeshev in a way most of us never heard growing up. Instead of a childish tale of jealous brothers and a flashy coat, we meet two kings of Am Yisrael – Yosef and Yehuda – and an underground story of sacrifice, responsibility, and teshuva.Drawing on Ishbitz, Zohar and Reb Shlomo Carlebach, Rav Shlomo explores the possibility that Yosef actually prayed to be the one who goes down to the exile of Egypt, taking the chains of slavery so his father and brothers wouldn’t have to. The brothers, for their part, are not cartoon villains, but holy tribes testing whether Yosef is truly one of them, and sending him off with tears and blessings. Yosef blesses Yehuda with the power of teshuva; Yehuda blesses Yosef with the strength to remain a tzaddik in exile – and both brachos come true.From this hidden story of two kings, Rav Shlomo speaks to our own lives: what it means to carry pain for our family and our people, to do the right thing even when we know we’ll still need to do teshuva, and to hold both kochos – not falling, and getting back up when we do.----------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

In this week’s Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz learns a Beis Yaakov from Ishbitz on Yaakov Avinu’s first steps out into galus, and quietly rewrites our whole definition of “success.”We follow Yaakov as he leaves Be’er Sheva and discovers that when you’re searching for Hashem, every step on the way already fills you, unlike the Western model where nothing “counts” until you close the deal, get the money, or hit the goal. Rav Shlomo contrasts wanting money with longing for Hashem, shows how Shabbos and Matan Torah are tasted before they arrive, and opens up “ישמח לב מבקשי ה׳” as a blueprint for a different life: one where holy longing itself is already dveikus.Along the way we touch longing for a soulmate, Messianic fear, Zionism, and why, if your spiritual search just makes you angrier, you might be searching for the wrong thing altogether. This is a shiur for anyone burnt out on outcome-chasing who still feels a stubborn hunger for emes, for Geulah, and for a life where the journey with Hashem is not a consolation prize — it’s the point.----------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

Chayei Sara is the world after the Akeidah: how Avraham and Yitzchak walked back into life with new eyes, and how we’re meant to daven with those eyes today. Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevre of Shirat David learn a short, potent piece from Reb Carlebach's Even Shlomo about מיחדות—that inner point of “what’s special” inside every Jew—and why Yitzchak and Rivka’s shidduch had to be more than “compatible”; it had to be "special meets special."From Eliezer’s test at the well, to zeh Keili v’anveihu (a personal, beautiful connection to Hashem), to the way Yom Kippur → Sukkah → Simchas Torah reconnects us to that inner point, we map how to find our word in tefillah, our portion in Torah, and our way back when we’ve gone external.What you’ll hearWhy after the Akeidah, ordinary compatibility isn’t enoughHow to help our generation by linking Torah to each person’s unique nekudah (and why they’ll keep searching elsewhere until we do).A practical path: Yom Kippur restores the link → Sukkah expresses it → Simchas Torah rejoices in it.The chuppah image: the kallah “points”—zeh zivugi v’anveihu—and how to bring that clarity into daily avodah.TakeawaysAsk daily: What felt special in my davening today? One word.Give first honor to the inborn nekudah, and then coach behavior.Teach Torah by matching it to people’s inner point.If you feel disconnected: rebuild with the YK→Sukkah→Simchas Torah ladder----------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

In Parshat Lech Lecha, Avraham Avinu begins the journey that defines what it means to be a Jew, and asks the question that still echoes through every generation: “במה אדע כי אירשנה” — “Hashem, how will I know that this Land is truly ours?”Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore Reb Shlomo Carlebach’s teachings on the Even Shlomo, uncovering why Eretz Yisrael is the deepest and most complicated question in the world. Through the words of the Aish Kodesh, the Izhbitzer, and Reb Shlomo, we learn that the promise of the Land is not a guarantee — it’s a relationship. A relationship that can only survive when it rises מעל הבחירה — beyond choice. A connection that demands not just faith in Hashem, but a longing to hear directly from Him.#rsk-lech-lechaTakeaways: – The bond with the land of Israel mirrors the bond with Hashem — it only lasts when it’s beyond choice. – The hardest questions in faith aren’t a lack of belief; they’re part of how we stay in the conversation. – Our generation’s holy chutzpah — to want to hear directly from Hashem — is itself a sign of Geulah. – The question “Why is Eretz Yisrael so complicated?” isn’t a doubt — it’s a calling.----------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

What happens when the well of connection dries up?Join Rav Shlomo Katz and the Chevra of Shirat David as they explore the mysterious link between Miriam HaNeviah and the life-giving waters that sustained Am Yisrael in the desert. Why did the water cease with her passing? What does it mean to “taste infinity” in a mitzvah, a relationship, or even a single word of Torah?From perfectionism in spirituality to the infinite power of a single drop of water, this shiur travels from Moshe’s grief to Miriam’s unique essence of chibur—connection. Through Chassidic stories, deep Torah from the Ba’er Miriam, and insights into emotional resilience, we are reminded that it’s not how “perfectly” we live, but how connected we remain—especially through our mistakes.Topics include:The danger of spiritual perfectionismHow a mitzvah touches infinityWhy the Jewish soul is rooted in the motherThe ongoing journey of Miriam’s wellWhat it means to be holy… but not connectedA must-listen for anyone longing for depth, gentleness, and reconnection.

Join Rav Shlomo Katz as we dive deep into one of the most vulnerable, explosive, and essential teachings of the Ishbitzer Rebbe: the yearning for a lev basar — a heart of flesh.Why did Bnei Yisrael suddenly ask for meat in the desert, after witnessing the greatest miracles in history? Was it physical craving... or a spiritual cry to feel something again?Drawing from the teachings of Rav Shlomo Carlebach, the Ishbitzer Rebbe, and the prophetic vision of the Messianic era, Rav Shlomo challenges us to ask: Are we strong because we're tough, or are we strong because we're soft? What does it mean to be a Jew with a heart that feels — even when it hurts?In this shiur:Why the complaint for “meat” was really a cry for inner lifeWhat it truly means to serve Hashem with a lev basar — a heart that feelsHow leadership, vulnerability, and humility go hand in hand