The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz

Recorded in the midst of painful and urgent questions surrounding war, leadership, and Jewish identity, this shiur dives into one of the deepest Torah concepts of our time: מלחמת מצווה.Drawing from Avraham Avinu, Yehoshua bin Nun, Rav Herzog, Rav Soloveitchik, and Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore what it actually means for Jews to fight a war with clarity, holiness, and purpose.Is defending Am Yisrael enough to define a war as holy? Does leadership need to understand why it’s fighting? And what happens when soldiers possess more אמונה than the people commanding them?From October 7th to Yehoshua stopping the sun in Givon, this episode wrestles honestly with the tension between Torah, Zionism, המדינה, and the spiritual destiny of Am Yisrael.----------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 Remarks and Chuppah Experience01:00 Why Do We Fight? The Core Question03:05 Defining Milchemet Mitzvah vs. Reshut05:08 Exploring the Traits of the Patriarchs07:13 Joshua’s Conquests and Future Promise11:05 The Mystery of the Sun That Stood Still13:13 October 7th — Was It a Milchemet Mitzvah?21:28 Is the Conflict Considered Milchemet Amalek?24:10 Scope of Milchemet Mitzvah Explained25:32 Rav Herzog and the State of Israel31:10 Kol Dodi Dofek and the Zionist Debate36:40 The Tension Between Torah and State Leadership44:15 Can the Army Become Spiritually Aligned?50:20 The Bottom-Up Generation of Redemption54:00 Final Reflections and Closing Words

Recorded on ערב יום הזיכרון, standing in the חלקה הצבאית of כפר עציון, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David reflect on what it means to stand among קדושים who gave everything for עם ישראל. Through the lens of חז״ל, the story of לוליאנוס ופפוס, and the halachic depth of מסירות נפש, a different picture of Yom HaZikaron begins to emerge.This isn’t only a day of grief. It’s a day of gratitude. A day of clarity. And maybe most of all, a day that asks a question we can’t run from:What are we doing with the lives they gave 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_tCHAPTERS00:00 Opening remarks and gratitude to the audience02:29 Personal reflections on Yom HaZikaron and pain09:34 Studying Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom – page 47 focus11:51 Gemara about the daughter of the Caesar in Lod13:23 Analyzing the halachic permissibility of their actions17:17 The profound level of Kiddush Hashem in Gan Eden19:40 The Bach’s story about a poor boy at a wedding23:51 Lessons on mesiras nefesh for today’s generation26:53 Milchama Kiyumit: The existential war concept32:57 Blessing the tzaddikim who saved Am Yisrael34:42 Hope for Techiyat HaMetim and the Messianic era

There’s a question sitting quietly beneath everything we’re living through right now: If Moshe Rabbeinu were here today… would he recognize our leaders of war?In this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open up one of the most uncomfortable and necessary teachings in Torah: the gap between strength and spirit.Yitro tells Moshe to appoint leaders who are not just powerful, but Anshei Chayil and Yirei Elokim—people of action and deep inner connection. But Moshe couldn’t find that combination.And maybe… that struggle never ended.We speak about: Why warriors naturally fall into “כחי ועצם ידי” The spiritual danger of success and power The difference between starting a war… and actually finishing it What’s missing in modern leadership, and why it matters now more than ever And the quiet shift happening beneath the surface of Am Yisrael CHAPTERS00:00 Opening and Sponsorship02:27 Moshe’s Search for Warrior-Devout03:40 Yitro’s Criteria for Leaders05:54 Assessing Modern Anshei Chayil07:26 Ariel Sharon’s Perspective Quote09:52 “I’m Not My Father” Syndrome16:00 Gaza Graffiti and Propaganda18:01 Spiritual Question for Bibi’s Son-in-Law25:17 The Paradox of the Hamotzi Blessing27:38 Unpacking the Word 'Prost'31:03 Anshei Chayil and the Danger of Arrogance32:20 When Doctors Meet Spiritual Skepticism36:49 Leadership Challenges in the Israeli Army39:24 Moshe's Choice: Warrior or Pious Man43:51 Casualty Ratios Among Pious Soldiers47:39 Uncertainty and the Path Ahead49:31 Final Blessing and Closing Words----------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

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open one of the deepest foundations of מלחמה in Torah: when a Jew fights to protect Am Yisrael, he is not only defending lives — he is fighting a war of Kiddush Hashem.Learning through Tanach, Chazal, and Rambam, Rav Shlomo explores the greatness of the chayalim, the holiness of the war camp, and the responsibility to understand battle not as personal vengeance, but as מלחמות השם. From Moshe Rabbeinu and David HaMelech, to Rachav’s words after the victory over Pharaoh, to the tragic humiliation of Shaul HaMelech, this shiur shows that every Jewish victory reveals Hashem in the world — and every Jewish loss is, chalilah, a chillul Hashem.Rav Shlomo also speaks painfully and honestly about the strange reality of Jews trying to leave Eretz Yisrael through Egypt at a moment when we are living through open miracles here, and what that says about our consciousness of geulah, fear, and closeness to Hashem.The episode closes with a live warning siren going off in the middle of the room — a jarring reminder that these teachings are not theoretical. They are being learned in real time, in the heart of the story itself.----------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 and Dedication01:34 Introducing the Epic Chapter of Hilchos Milchama02:59 The Great Merit of Soldiers Fighting for Israel05:28 Moshe Rabbeinu’s Call to Fight for Hashem08:42 Rav Kahane on War Not Being Personal Vengeance10:30 Rachav’s Words to the Spies after Israel’s Victory13:19 Aftermath: Supporting Oppressed Nations Beyond Ourselves14:48 Every Loss Is a Chillul Hashem16:32 Shaul HaMelech’s Tragic End and Its Lessons19:56 The Unresolved Head of a Soldier in Aza22:49 Kiddush Hashem Through Every Soldier’s Battle24:21 Non-Jewish Language and Former Leaders’ Testimony25:28 Battlefield Proximity to God27:20 The Ark of the Covenant in the War Camp29:00 Purity, Camp Holiness and Satan’s Challenge31:45 Reb Shlomo Brings Rav Kook to Soldiers33:54 Modern Miracles and Exodus Parallel43:05 Rambam on Fear and Panic in War45:20 Media Channels: Panic vs Inspiration50:00 Staying Put Despite Hardships and Doubt51:42 Blessings for Soldiers' Marriages and Building Homes

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn that the wars of modern Israel are not merely political or historical events. But they are biblical events, unfolding in front of our eyes.Through the lens of Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Rav Shlomo walks through the miracles of 1948, 1967, 1973, and the present moment, showing how again and again Am Yisrael has lived through the fulfillment of prophecy. But together with that miracle comes a warning: when Jews forget that Hashem is the One fighting behind the scenes, pride, confusion, and spiritual blindness begin to take hold.This is a piercing shiur about prophecy, victory, gaavah, focus, bitul, and the responsibility of building a life in Eretz Yisrael that is conscious of geulah. To live here truthfully is not just to survive history. It is to become aligned with what Hashem is revealing through it.----------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 announcements and dedications01:11 Speaker's stance on inviting attendees02:30 Wars framed as biblical events05:34 1948 War: First miracle and victory09:29 1967 Six-Day War: Arab attack and Israeli triumph21:03 Living consciously within prophetic destiny25:50 Post-1967 Empowerment and Energy27:16 Great Wisdom Emerging in Israel28:35 Remembering Who Works Behind the Scenes30:03 All Success Comes from Hashem31:25 Post-Six-Day War Depression and Chillul Hashem32:31 Rebbe’s Warnings About the Aftermath33:46 Pride, Forgetting Hashem, and Klipas Yishmael35:03 Ignored Intelligence Warnings36:29 1973 War: Early Setbacks and Miracles38:18 Vatican Involvement After 1967 Victory40:41 Current War Objectives Questioned42:01 US Secretary Cites Psalm for War43:28 October 7 Tragedy Echoes Past Wars49:44 Unchanging Narrative and Respect for Rav Kahane50:45 Bnei Yissaschar Links Purim, Pesach, and Moshiach51:51 Yossi's Pessimism, COVID Optimism, and Burnout53:38 Rejecting Monetary Bets on Moshiach57:28 Bitul as Path to Lasting Victory59:04 Community Unity, Mixing Kodesh and Chol