What’s the real purpose of a chabura —a close-knit group of friends committed to spiritual growth? In the heartfelt and powerful final episode of the series exploring the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael, Rav Shlomo Katz explores how true friendship isn’t just a bonus on the path of serving Hashem—it’s the foundation. Through Torah, stories, and the lived experience of his own community, Rav Shlomo unpacks the spiritual depth of sacred friendship: not just learning with each other, but growing for each...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 10
What gives us the right to explain someone else’s suffering? In this emotionally charged and spiritually deep shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz opens a window into one of the most subtle yet critical aspects of Ahavat Yisrael: refusing to define someone by their pain, flaws, or current state. With teachings from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Tanya, and the Torah itself, Rav Shlomo challenges us to see others—and ourselves—as works in progress, never final products. He reminds us that true love isn't about tur...
Jul 02, 2025•59 min•Ep. 9
We tend to be most agitated not when someone lies about us — but when they see something true about us that we’ve tried to keep hidden. In this deeply honest shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz brings us into the inner world of a maamar that reframes what it really means to “love your fellow as yourself.” At the core is one of the most disarming truths in Chassidus: Just as I see my flaws — and choose not to hold them against myself — so too, I must learn to look at you . Real Ahavat Yisrael doesn’t mean bei...
Jul 02, 2025•54 min•Ep. 8
What does it actually mean to love another “like yourself”? In this honest and emotionally charged shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz unpacks the depth of the word “kamocha” — like yourself — in the mitzvah of Ve’ahavta l’rei’acha kamocha . This isn't about being nice or agreeable. It's about the raw inner work of learning how to treat others with the same nuance, patience, compassion, and depth that you (sometimes secretly) extend to yourself. But what if you don’t love yourself? What if your internal dial...
Jul 02, 2025•54 min•Ep. 7
What would life feel like if we stopped performing and started showing up — soul to soul? In this refreshingly raw shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz guides us through the spiritual work of emotional honesty, vulnerability, and deep internal cheshbon hanefesh . We explore how Ahavat Yisrael demands that we not only tolerate each other, but truly see each other — beneath the layers, behind the roles, beyond the masks. Drawing from Tanya and Chassidic thought, Rav Shlomo unpacks what it means to move from ego...
Jul 02, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 6
How can we love another Jew if we don’t know, or like, who we are inside? In this heart-opening shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz brings us into the deepest chambers of Ahavat Yisrael : not as a social mission, but as a spiritual mirror. Before you can fulfill the mitzvah of loving another, you must first come face-to-face with the essence of your own soul. Drawing from the Tanya, Rav Shlomo explores how real love, the kind that doesn’t depend on similarity, shared interests, or external traits, can only e...
Jul 02, 2025•49 min•Ep. 5
What if we had spiritual glasses that let us see the world not as fragmented, but as one unified soul-body? In this powerful and vulnerable shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz guides us deeper into the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael by exploring the metaphor of Klal Yisrael as a single, living organism — not just in theory, but in felt experience. Building on the teachings of the Tzemach Tzedek, the Baal HaTanya, and the Arizal, Rav Shlomo reveals how true love for another Jew begins with feeling your own soul. A...
Jul 02, 2025•45 min•Ep. 4
If we’re one soul, one body — then why do we keep hurting ourselves? In this deeply moving shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz brings us face to face with the spiritual reality of Klal Yisrael as one living organism. Drawing from the Arizal, the Baal HaTanya, and Chassidic thought, we confront the spiritual absurdity — the insanity — of anger, revenge, and resentment toward another Jew. What emerges is a vision of Am Yisrael where hurting another is no different than stabbing your own hand. If we are truly o...
Jul 02, 2025•40 min•Ep. 3
What if hurting another Jew is no different than harming your own body? In this transformative shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz delves into the soul-stirring teaching of the Arizal — that all of Am Yisrael is one spiritual body. Drawing from the writings of the Baal HaTanya, Chabad, and Rav Kook, we explore the radical depth of Ahavat Yisrael as a spiritual prerequisite for authentic tefillah and divine connection. Discover how unity isn’t a “nice” idea — it’s a halachic and emotional requirement to ascen...
Jul 02, 2025•56 min•Ep. 2
“Love your fellow as yourself” is not just a Jewish value — it’s a mitzvah straight from the Torah. But what does that really mean? In this first episode of The Mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael , Rav Shlomo Katz takes us deep into the heart of one of Judaism’s most misunderstood commandments — loving fellow Jews. With passion, honesty, and sources from the Rambam, Chabad, Chazal, and Rav Kook, we begin to unravel what it means to work on love — not just feel it when it’s easy. This isn’t about slogans....
Jul 02, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1
