In this Tzom Gedalia shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore a powerful teaching from Rav Moshe Shapira about what was really lost with the murder of Gedalia ben Achikam.

Why did Chazal compare his death to the burning of the Beit HaMikdash? And why does the Rambam describe that moment as the extinguishing of the גחלת ישראל — the coal of Israel?

Rav Shlomo looks at the small remnant of Jews who remained in Eretz Yisrael after the destruction of the First Beit HaMikdash, and the possibility for rebuilding that was still hidden within them. Through Rav Moshe Shapira’s distinction between a גחלת, a coal that holds its fire inside, and a שלהבת, an open flame, we discover a deeper way of understanding Jewish survival, return, and the meaning of Tzom Gedalia today.

What appears to be only a dying ember may still contain the fire from which everything can grow again.

And the question isn't only national. Where in our own lives is there still a spark that we've mistakenly decided has already gone out?

----------

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

Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOh hPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

00:00 Opening the New Year
01:05 Running to Torah as Our True Home
03:00 The Murder of Gedalia ben Achikam
08:01 Why Do We Fast for Gedalia?
11:20 When the גחלת of Israel Went Out
16:52 Why Jewish Settlement Matters
21:34 A Remnant of Something Ancient
23:19 The Power of a She'erit
27:44 What's the Difference Between a Coal and a Flame?
30:13 Can an Ember Be Reignited?
32:07 Where Have We Let the Coal Die?
33:18 The גחלת Has Become a שלהבת