The Torah tells us that Hashem appeared to Avraham Avinu at Elonei Mamre. But it never tells us what Hashem said. What kind of revelation takes place without a single word?

In this week's Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a remarkable teaching from Reb Shlomo Carlebach and the Ishbitzer tradition about what it really means to encounter Hashem.

What happens when the world around us feels unbearably dark? How do we recognize Hashem's presence in moments of suffering and uncertainty? And when something deep inside us cries out for change, what might Hashem be asking of us?

A moving and deeply relevant learning for Parshat Vayera about the presence of Hashem and what it can awaken within us.

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Chapters

00:00 Opening Nigun

00:26 Welcome and What the Avot Prepared for Us

01:32 When the Conversations of the Avot Become Our Torah

05:30 What Makes a Test a Real Test?

15:30 Avraham's Question: Who Runs the World?

16:31 When Revelation Becomes Responsibility

18:32 The Parable of the King Walking in Darkness

20:44 When Hashem Appears but Says Nothing

26:52 Avraham's Prayer for Every Suffering Jew

29:40 Finding Hashem Amid Tragedy

30:53 The Great Tzaddikim Who Cannot Be Replaced

32:36 Reb Shlomo's Remarkable Hesped for the Rebbe

34:05 When Torah Wanders Through Dark Alleys

35:37 Tisha B'Av and the Pain of a Torah in Exile

41:56 A New Light at the Banai Shul

43:47 When Jewish Education Produces Parrots

45:59 Revealing the Chen of Torah

What does it really mean to live above and beyond nature? And how much of what we consider impossible is simply the result of the limits we've placed on ourselves?

In this week's Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a remarkable teaching from the Ruzhiner Rebbe, as shared by Reb Shlomo Carlebach, beginning with a subtle but profound difference between Noach and Avraham Avinu.

Through beautiful Chassidic stories and some surprisingly practical examples, this shiur challenges us to reconsider what it means to serve Hashem, how we relate to others, and what might become possible when we learn to go beyond our own nature.

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

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Chapters

00:00 Birthday Blessings and Opening Nigun

06:07 Beginning the Lech Lecha Teaching

10:02 Why Noach Walked With God and Avraham Walked Before Him

11:03 Elokim and Havayah: Nature and Beyond Nature

14:18 My Encounter with the Lelover Rebbe on a Plane

15:37 Why the Lelover Rebbe Wore a Fur Coat in Summer

23:29 Noach vs. Avraham: Two Ways of Giving Tzedakah

25:32 The Secret Generosity of a Wealthy Jew in Warsaw

28:57 Going Beyond Nature by Opening Your Door

30:31 Why Noach Didn't Challenge God's Decree

32:14 Our Soldiers and the Power to Go Beyond Nature

34:26 What Real Friendship Teaches Us About Going Beyond
36:00 Avraham's Willingness to Enter the Furnace
40:45 Going Beyond Our Natural Limits
41:15 When Love Makes Us Forget Our Needs
45:10 Be More Than You Think You Can Be
46:15 The Power of Living Beyond Nature
47:00 A Question About Techiyat HaMetim
48:45 Rav Ginsburgh on Faith Beyond Statistics

When we think of Parshat Noach, we usually think of the mabul, the teivah, the rainbow, and the dove returning with an olive leaf.

But there's something about that little olive leaf that opens up an entirely different world.

This week in Even Shlomo, we're learning one of my favorite teachings from Reb Shlomo Carlebach. It's one of the most unexpected pieces I've ever learned, connecting Noach to some of the most significant moments in our history.

And underneath this remarkable teaching is something so important for us to remember, especially when we find ourselves going through our own personal mabul.

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How is it possible that someone can know so much Torah, teach it beautifully, and still leave us feeling absolutely nothing? And then someone else, who barely knows anything, can share one word that stays with us for the rest of our lives?

In this week's Even Shlomo on the Parsha, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David begin Bereishit with a remarkable teaching from Reb Efraim of Breslov, as brought down in Reb Shlomo Carlebach's Even Shlomo.

Through Adam HaRishon, the Akeidah, and the teachings of Rebbe Nachman and Reb Noson, we explore what it really means to receive the word of Hashem and give it over to another person.

A deeply relevant learning for anyone who teaches Torah, raises children, or simply wants the Torah they're learning to become a living part of who they are.

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For more Shiurim 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 and Gratitude

01:59 Dedication and Welcome

08:11 What Adam Blamed Chava For

10:17 Reb Efraim's Remarkable Teaching

11:41 What Was Adam's Real Sin?

12:56 Why Prayer Is Called Work of the Heart

17:08 How Avraham Transmitted God's Word to Yitzchak

19:01 Why Torah Must Be Accompanied by Prayer

24:36 Davening Over the Gift of Eretz Yisrael

29:18 The Secret of La'avdah U'leshamrah

30:53 How Adam Passed God's Command to Chava

32:04 Why Some Torah Leaves Us Cold

33:12 When One Word of Torah Changes Everything

34:33 The Crisis in Jewish Education

36:03 Choosing Teachers of the Tree of Life

As Parshat Balak unfolds, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore one of the most uncomfortable questions in Judaism: what does it actually mean to be the "Chosen People"? Is chosenness about superiority, exclusivity, or something entirely different?

Drawing on the Even Shlomo, Rebbe Nachman, and a breathtaking reading of Balak's deepest desire, Rav Shlomo reveals that Balak's mistake wasn't simply hatred of the Jewish people. At his core, he longed for a world where everyone could be close to Hashem, but he misunderstood what that closeness truly meant.

Through the stories of Ruth HaMoaviah, Pinchas, Ger Tzedek Avraham Potocki, and Reb Tzadok HaKohen, this shiur uncovers the inner meaning of בינו לבין קונו—a deeply personal relationship with the Ribbono Shel Olam that cannot be reduced to ritual alone.

Chosenness, Rav Shlomo explains, isn't about excluding others. It's about becoming so deeply connected to Hashem that your greatest joy is seeing the entire world draw close to Him as well.

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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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00:00 Opening Nigun, Dedication, and Netanel's Birthday
05:06 Introducing Parshat Balak: The Seemingly Simple Portion
08:32 Balak vs. Bilaam: Why the Parsha Bears Balak's Name
13:16 Chosenness vs. Political Correctness
16:23 Balak's Jealousy and His Desire for Universal Closeness
19:16 The Miss America Analogy and the Meaning of Chosenness
23:19 Idol Worship vs. True Service of Hashem
27:02 Ger Tzedek Avraham Potocki's Final Reflection
28:43 Refining the Inner Self Takes a Lifetime
29:53 Why Pinchas Appears at the End of Parshat Balak
31:18 Pinchas: The Tikkun of Anger and Jealousy
33:05 The Personal Relationship with the Ribbono Shel Olam
34:08 Beino L'Vein Kono: The Messianic Secret
36:23 Balak's Dream Fulfilled Through Ruth
38:12 You're Not Disappointing Your Ancestors

As Parshat Chukat opens with the mystery of the Parah Adumah, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover a startling teaching hidden within its ashes.

Drawing from Reb Tzadok HaKohen, the Rambam, and Reb Shlomo Carlebach, this short but powerful shiur becomes a meditation on exile, redemption, and what it truly means to prepare for Mashiach.

Beginning with the Rambam's surprising prayer in the middle of Mishneh Torah, Rav Shlomo explores the deeper meaning of the Parah Adumah as a symbol of Am Yisrael itself: pure, whole, and sent "outside the camp" into centuries of galut. Yet the story does not end there. One day, the ashes will be gathered.

From the haunting image of the ashes of Majdanek to Avraham Avinu's first prayer in the Torah, a profound teaching emerges: before Mashiach comes, a Jew must be connected to both the dust of Eretz Yisrael and the ashes of the Six Million. Not one without the other.

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

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Every year, we return to Parshat Korach, thinking we know the story. A jealous man challenges Moshe Rabbeinu, gets swallowed by the earth, and that's the end of it. But Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a much deeper reading: Korach's downfall was not that he made a mistake. It was that he could not admit he had made one.

Drawing on the Ishbitzer, Chazal, and the inner relationship between Korach, Kayin, Hevel, and Moshe Rabbeinu, this shiur uncovers what may be the ultimate test of truth: not whether we know the truth, but whether we can accept it when it exposes our own flaws.

Why is it often harder for religious people to admit they're wrong? What separates Moshe's humility from Korach's certainty? And why does genuine teshuvah require the courage to dismantle structures we've spent decades building?

From shalom bayis and friendship to leadership and spiritual growth, this episode becomes a powerful meditation on humility, learning, and the liberating realization that being wrong is not the end of the story. It may be the beginning of redemption.

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For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com
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As Parshat Shelach confronts us once again with the story of the Meraglim, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David uncover what may be the deepest question hidden beneath their report.

Were the spies really afraid?

Drawing from the Even Shlomo, Rav Shlomo suggests that the issue was not fear at all. The issue was רצון.

Because if there is something you truly want — something your life depends on — nothing can stop you. Obstacles only reveal uncertainty in the connection. When desire is absolute, doubt disappears.

In this powerful shiur, Rav Shlomo explores the difference between responsibility and ratzon, the deeper meaning of אין דבר עומד בפני הרצון, the spiritual root of the Meraglim's mistake, and why Eretz Yisrael remains the ultimate test of what Am Yisrael truly wants.

Through stories of parents risking everything for their children, hostages who discovered hidden strengths, the Six-Day War, Oslo, and the eternal longing for Yerushalayim, this episode becomes a meditation on the question that every Jew must eventually ask:

What do I want so deeply that nothing in the world could stop me?
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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 Intro & Opening Blessings
02:37 Identifying the Core Issue of Today’s Shiur
13:17 When Obstacles Reveal a Flaw in Our Connection
14:36 The Unstoppable Drive: Jumping Into a Stormy Ocean
17:07 A Mother’s Heroic Act in a Car Accident
23:38 Lessons from the Meraglim’s Report
26:47 Reordering Responsibility and Ratzon