In this shiur on Shabbos Shuvah, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore why this Shabbos carries such a unique place within the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah.

Beginning with the Magen Avraham, Mateh Moshe, and Mareh Yechezkel, Rav Shlomo traces the origins of the Shabbos Shuvah drasha and the deeper reason this Shabbos became a time for awakening people toward teshuvah. He then turns to Rav Tzadok and the Sefat Emet to understand why Shabbos itself is a time of return, clarity, and reconnection to the deepest point of who we are.

Along the way, Rav Shlomo discusses Aseret Yemei Teshuvah as “days of wet cement,” the meaning of ruach shtus, the difference between our mistakes and our essential identity, and why Shabbat Shuvah gives us a unique opportunity to decide who we want to become while the year is still taking shape.

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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 Chant and Sponsorship Announcements
06:41 Introducing the Shabbat Shuvah Lecture
07:42 Magen Avraham on the Name Shabbat Shuvah
10:02 Mateh Moshe's Explanation of Shabbat Shuvah
11:28 Midrash Proof Linking Drasha to Kapparah
13:49 Mareh Yechezkel on Naming After the Haftarah
15:41 Aseret Yemei Teshuvah as a Chol Hamoed
23:48 Rabbi Tzadok on Teshuvah Specific to Shabbat Shuvah
29:01 Introducing Sefat Emet on Shabbat Shuvah
30:07 Chazal on Ruach Shtus and Sin
31:42 Sefat Emet on Shabbat Clarity and Responsibility
33:17 Ruach Shtus as a Michshol (Stumbling Block)
35:18 World Returning: Shabbat Shuvah Makes Change Easier

There are moments in history when the greatest miracle isn’t what we do… but how clearly we can say why we’re doing it.

On the original Shabbos HaGadol, Bnei Yisrael didn’t just take the korban Pesach. They were asked by the Egyptians what they were doing… and they answered בלי גמגום. No hesitation. No confusion. Total clarity.

This wasn’t just bravery. This was a miracle.

In this deeply timely Hachana L’Shabbos, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore why Shabbos HaGadol is not named for the date, but for the day, and what that reveals about the כוח of Shabbos to transform who we are.

From the teachings of the Ohev Yisrael, we learn that Shabbos is not just a day of rest. It’s the מקור הברכה, the place where a person becomes someone capable of דברים שלא חלמתי עליהם.

And maybe the biggest avodah right now?

To stop stuttering.

To speak clearly, to our אויבים, to our children, and even to ourselves, about who we are and why we’re here.

May this Shabbos give us the כח to live, to believe, and to speak… clearly.
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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 niggun & reflection
02:54 Looking back at past Shabbos HaGadol
06:33 Why it’s called Shabbos HaGadol
14:08 Why the miracle is tied to Shabbos (not the date)
17:17 The Ohev Yisrael on timing & כוח
20:07 Shabbos HaGadol as a spiritual launchpad
22:48 The role of drashos & speaking clearly

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

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