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
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

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
Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

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