ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn Reb Usher’s short but piercing letter about the “game” Hashem set into creation: neshamas sent into gufim—so that our way to powers lema’alah min ha’teva (above our nature) actually runs through the body, not around it. We explore free will in real time (not acting on every thought), the danger of turning streaks of self-control into self-worship, and the quiet addiction to feeling like a victim. The avodah is to notice the strength we’re given, trace it back to its Source, and live like a baby held by its mother—safe, nourished, and not compelled by every impulse.
Topics include:
- “The game”: souls in bodies—why access to kochos she’me’al hateva is davka through the guf.
- Bechira in the moment: thoughts arise constantly; emunah means I don’t have to act on them.
- Streaks vs. Source: when discipline becomes ego-service—and how to turn victories into thanksgiving.
- The quiet pleasure of sadness: how victimhood removes responsibility—and how to break its spell.
- “Like a baby in its mother’s arms”: cultivating felt safety with Hashem to dissolve compulsion.
- Reading the paragraph again (and again): training the eye to see that every strength is a gift.
- Touching Or HaGanuz—the light of Bereishit—without pretending we’re perfect.
—
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
