What happens when a Jew finally reaches Yerushalayim… and still feels like something is missing?

In this deeply moving Yom Yerushalayim shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David, learn the holy words of Rav Shilo Shapiro, a תלמיד of Rav Kook and brother of the Aish Kodesh, who struggled with the gap between the Yerushalayim he dreamed about as a child and the Yerushalayim he physically encountered.

From the hills outside the city, Rav Shilo suddenly discovers a deeper vision: Yerushalayim shel Ma’ala shining through Yerushalayim shel Mata.
And then comes the image that changes everything — thousands upon thousands of Shabbos candles lighting up the mountains of Jerusalem.

A shiur about longing, holiness, disappointment, gratitude, and learning how to see the light of redemption unfolding in front of our eyes.
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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 and Goal of the Shiur
02:03 Rav Shilo’s Years Living in Israel
04:34 Reading Rav Shilo’s Poem for Yom Yerushalayim
07:50 Yerushalayim Shel Mata vs Ancient Vision
09:13 Yearning for Jerusalem from the Hills
11:06 Connection to Rav Kook’s Aliyah Story
17:39 Shabbat Candle Imagery over Jerusalem

What does it take to truly wake up from spiritual slumber?

Speaking to the community in Woodmere, NY, Rav Shlomo Katz dives into the Midrashic teaching that the Hebrew word for city (Ir) means "to wake up," revealing how Yerushalayim physically and spiritually rouses the dormant holiness inside us.

Confronting the modern crisis of feeling spiritually empty despite having material abundance, Rav Shlomo teaches that we must strip away the rigid calculations and habits—the "locks" (na'al) on our souls—just as Moshe removed his shoes at the burning bush in order to truly stand before Hashem.

Drawing from a powerful story of a funeral in Jerusalem where a Tzadik's direct phone number was promised to never be disconnected, and the simple, heartbreaking cry of "Ayekah" (Where are You?) from the depths of a broken heart, this shiur urges us to carve the reality of Hashem into our very being and never stop dialing His number
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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

How do we maintain the light of Yerushalayim even in the darkest, stormiest places?

Rav Shlomo Katz shares a deeply personal shiur from Los Angeles, exploring the soul's enduring longing for connection and the profound meaning of the Arizal's mandate to love one's neighbor.

Far beyond the Western obsession with measurable achievements, Rav Shlomo reveals how the simple yearning for Hashem and focusing on sweeping our own inner chambers—a teaching from Rav Kook about clearing our own chametz—can ignite our spiritual lives.

Drawing from heart-wrenching, firsthand accounts of leading Hallel at the shiva for 14-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel, and a miraculous, rain-drenched Chanukah lighting in Jerusalem alongside the families of terror victims, this episode proves that the light and faith of Am Yisrael can never be extinguished.

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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

How can the memory of Jerusalem transform the way we see the entire world?

Recorded in the historic Beit Kook on the exact 113th anniversary of Rav Kook’s arrival in Eretz Yisrael, Rav Shlomo Katz meditates on the unparalleled vision and spiritual epicenter of the world.

Far beyond simply visiting a holy site, Rav Shlomo explores how carrying the beauty of Yerushalayim in our hearts changes our daily reality. He challenges listeners to adopt Rav Kook’s Ayin Tova (a good eye)—to look at every single Jew, and ourselves, with non-judgmental love, turning them into the beauty we see.

Drawing from stories of Rav Kook weeping and then dancing at the gates of the Old City, and his time stranded in the breathtaking Swiss Alps during WWI—where he could only see the mountains surrounding Jerusalem—this episode is an invitation to see the world through the eyes of a true Tzadik.
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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