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

What does it really mean to acquire Yirat Hashem without becoming anxious, rigid, or spiritually “small”?

In this Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David zoom in on the words we often rush past near the end of bentching: “Yiru es Hashem kedoshav, ki ein machsor l’yire’av.” Rav Biederman brings a powerful teaching בשם בית אהרן מקרלין: if a person is truly chasing Yirat Shamayim, nothing is missing — spiritually and emotionally.

From there we open Rav Kook’s Middot HaRa’ayah and discover a surprising definition: real Yirah doesn’t weaken you. It gives oz v’gevurah, fills life with purpose and big aspirations, and elevates your talents with the light of a holy fire. And we clarify the essential distinction between fear-based Yirah (sometimes necessary as a guardrail) and Yirat Romemut — a higher awe that comes with ahavah and an inner Eden.

A practical, uplifting reframing of Yirat Hashem so your avodah leaves you feeling more alive, more courageous, and more connected.
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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 Shabbat Greeting
01:43 Shabbat Welcome and Sponsorship
03:21 Benching Structure and the Rise Toward Mashiach
17:15 Exploring Kinyan Yirat Shamayim
19:26 Rav Kook on the Nature of Yirat Hashem
25:58 Distinguishing Fear from Awe in Yirat Hashem
27:12 Seeing Hashem Everywhere: a New View of Yirat Hashem
28:36 Fear (Eimah) Triggered by Seeing Hashem in Sin
30:58 Distinguishing Yirat Chet from Yirat Shamayim
36:49 Rambam vs. Ra’avad on Visualizing Kisse Hakavod
37:55 Rav Kook on Visualization for Higher Yirat Hashem
41:10 Yirat Romemut: Love and Inner Eden
42:18 Closing Blessing and Niggun for Yirat Romemut

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat Davud open a window into what really happens when we bentch.

Drawing from the Baal Shem Tov, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, the Chofetz Chaim, and Rabbeinu Bachya, we discover that Birkat HaMazon is not just gratitude after a meal. It is an eis ratzon, a moment when gates open in Shamayim.

When a mitzvah d’Oraita is fulfilled with presence and kavana, something shifts. A person is no longer standing in the same place. And once the gates are open, the question becomes: do we walk through them?

We explore why Chazal placed the Harachaman tefillos specifically after bentching, how true satiation comes from blessing rather than food, and how a Jew is invited to pour their deepest bakashos into the words of Birkat HaMazon.

This is a shiur about trust, dependence on Hashem, and learning to recognize when Heaven is quietly saying: now is the moment.

May we learn to slow down, to stay present, and to walk fully through the gates that open before us.

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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 Niggun of the Baal Shem Tov
01:50 The Completeness of Torah: תורת השם תמימה
04:01 Blood Donation Example and Bentching Kavana
06:27 Ikar, Tefillah, and Dependence on Hashem
11:27 Harachaman After Birkat HaMazon
13:14 Minhag of Stopping at Yachasreinu
14:41 Benching Opens Gates to Heaven
36:48 Metzius and Davening Climax
38:24 Rabbi Chaya on Mitzvah Timing
40:46 Benching Series and Shabbos Focus