Explore every episode of the podcast The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2. Living in a Biblical Prophecy | 11 Mar 2026 | 01:00:29 | |
Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn that the wars of modern Israel are not merely political or historical events. But they are biblical events, unfolding in front of our eyes. Through the lens of Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Rav Shlomo walks through the miracles of 1948, 1967, 1973, and the present moment, showing how again and again Am Yisrael has lived through the fulfillment of prophecy. But together with that miracle comes a warning: when Jews forget that Hashem is the One fighting behind the scenes, pride, confusion, and spiritual blindness begin to take hold. This is a piercing shiur about prophecy, victory, gaavah, focus, bitul, and the responsibility of building a life in Eretz Yisrael that is conscious of geulah. To live here truthfully is not just to survive history. It is to become aligned with what Hashem is revealing through it. CHAPTERS | |||
| 1. Never Get Used to Miracles | 09 Mar 2026 | 00:43:47 | |
In the opening episode of The Laws of War and Peace, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David begin learning from Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu and ask a piercing question for our generation: what happens when Jews become used to miracles? As missiles fly, sirens sound, and impossible salvations become part of daily life, Rav Shlomo warns that the deepest danger is not only the threat from our enemies, but the possibility of losing our hakarah—that we are living inside open nissim from Hashem. From Moshe Rabbeinu saving a fellow Jew, to David HaMelech’s war with Goliath, to Mordechai and Esther’s holy courage, this episode lays the foundation for a Torah of gevurah: real Jewish strength is never self-worship. It is ויגבה לבו בדרכי השם—a heart lifted in the ways of Hashem. This is a Torah about war, humility, miracles, soldiers, aliyah, and the spiritual responsibility of living through history with open eyes. CHAPTERS | |||
| 5. Israel's Air Has Never Been More Pure | 25 Mar 2026 | 00:51:00 | |
Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learn a breathtaking and deeply timely idea: the mesirus nefesh of Am Yisrael is not only protecting the nation — it is purifying the very air of Eretz Yisrael. Drawing from Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Tanach, Chazal, and the story of Yitzchak Avinu, Rav Shlomo expands the meaning of mesirus nefesh beyond the battlefield itself. A soldier who enters danger and returns home whole is still a מוסר נפש. A support soldier is still part of that holiness. The wives, children, and families carrying this burden are part of it too. This shiur explores how mesirus nefesh brings רוח הקודש, kaparah, and taharah to Klal Yisrael; how Yitzchak Avinu becomes the great melamed zechus on the nation; and how the self-sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of chayalim may be lifting the entire people to a place we cannot yet fully comprehend. Rav Shlomo closes with a piercing reminder for these pre-Pesach days: when Jews are risking everything to save lives, we need perspective, gratitude, and the humility to realize that something holy is happening in the air right now. CHAPTERS | |||
| 4. A War of Kiddush Hashem | 23 Mar 2026 | 00:53:08 | |
Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open one of the deepest foundations of מלחמה in Torah: when a Jew fights to protect Am Yisrael, he is not only defending lives — he is fighting a war of Kiddush Hashem. Learning through Tanach, Chazal, and Rambam, Rav Shlomo explores the greatness of the chayalim, the holiness of the war camp, and the responsibility to understand battle not as personal vengeance, but as מלחמות השם. From Moshe Rabbeinu and David HaMelech, to Rachav’s words after the victory over Pharaoh, to the tragic humiliation of Shaul HaMelech, this shiur shows that every Jewish victory reveals Hashem in the world — and every Jewish loss is, chalilah, a chillul Hashem. Rav Shlomo also speaks painfully and honestly about the strange reality of Jews trying to leave Eretz Yisrael through Egypt at a moment when we are living through open miracles here, and what that says about our consciousness of geulah, fear, and closeness to Hashem. The episode closes with a live warning siren going off in the middle of the room — a jarring reminder that these teachings are not theoretical. They are being learned in real time, in the heart of the story itself. CHAPTERS | |||
| 3. The Hidden Army Fighting for Israel | 16 Mar 2026 | 00:35:58 | |
In this episode of The Laws of War and Peace, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David open a deeper dimension of Jewish war that most people never think about: when Am Yisrael goes out to battle, it is not only the soldiers on the ground and not only the Ribbono Shel Olam above — the neshamos of tzaddikim from across the generations join the fight as well. Learning from Midrash, Zohar, and the teachings brought in Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom, Rav Shlomo explores how Moshe Rabbeinu, Mordechai, Eliyahu HaNavi, the avos, nevi’im, and tzaddikim are somehow bound up with the souls of today’s chayalim. At the same time, he reveals the frightening parallel: the forces of evil also awaken in times of geulah and gather around Yerushalayim. This is a shiur about the hidden spiritual front of war, the mystery of Jewish strength, the danger of kochi ve’otzem yadi, and the living awareness that Israel never goes to battle alone. CHAPTERS | |||