In this series Rav Shlomo Katz explores the inspiring, powerful Torah and Wisdom of Reb Usher Freund zt"l
Learning From Reb Usher Freund zt"l
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17 episodes
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Podcast Overview
In this series Rav Shlomo Katz explores the inspiring, powerful Torah and Wisdom of Reb Usher Freund zt"l
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Publishing Since
5/5/2025
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Recent Episodes
January 19, 2026
17. Rebbe Nachman’s Invitation Through Reb Usher
<p>Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David dive into a short but piercing letter from 1975 where Reb Usher opens a window into the inner invitation of Rebbe Nachman’s Torah — not as inspiration alone, but as a demand for real inner work.</p><p>Reb Usher explains that the stories and teachings of Rebbe Nachman are filled with hidden wisdom meant to guide a person toward absolute bitul, honest self-refinement, and a living connection to Hashem. Rebbe Nachman's teachings meet a person exactly where they are, without needing to become someone else first.</p><p>This shiur explores what it means to enter that “orchard”: letting go of our certainties, our spiritual clothing, and our need to hold onto identity, and allowing emunah peshutah to emerge from within our own lives. Not as a trend, not as a movement, but as a lived reality.<br>----------<br>For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com<br>Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t</p>
January 12, 2026
16. And Even If I’m Right, Then What...
<p>Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David dive into a letter from Reb Usher that hits a nerve: <strong>what happens when you </strong><strong>know</strong><strong> you’re right… and it still doesn’t bring peace?<br></strong><br></p><p>Reb Usher takes us beneath the surface of machlokes and into the heart of the matter: the hidden “tzar hatzorer”—that inner dictator that keeps chanting “I’m right, he’s wrong”—and how it slowly disconnects us from the source of life. The surprising avodah here isn’t winning the argument. It’s building a <strong>bris ahavah she’einah teluyah b’davar</strong>—a covenant of love that isn’t dependent on agreement—until it can actually spark <strong>hisnatzetzus Or HaGeulah</strong>.</p><p>And then comes the most vulnerable turn: the real tefillah of geulah might be only one word—<strong>“Ima!”</strong> The cry of a soul that’s terrified of one thing בלבד: being cut off from Hashem’s Presence for even a moment.</p><p>If you’ve ever felt stuck in a “right vs. wrong” loop, this one is for you.</p><p>----------<br>For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com<br>Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t</p><p>00:00 Intro<br>03:24 Covenant of Unconditional Love Explanation<br>09:02 Reb Asher’s Method: Uniting Diverse Groups<br>10:55 Digging Deeper Than the Argument<br>20:42 Consequences of Separating from Friends<br>22:14 Distraction’s Role in Breaking Unity<br>23:21 Prayer of the Poor Soul<br>26:43 Gates of Faith Open Before a Person<br>28:11 Ultimate Knowledge: Realizing We Never Truly Know<br>32:36 Cannot Control Others – Prepare a Vessel for Redemption<br>34:29 Entering the Gates of Faith – Touching Eternity<br>37:56 Stage Incident and Desire to Retaliate <br>38:57 Choosing Silence – Walking Off the Stage<br>46:21 Closing Prayer and Invitation to Shul</p>
November 24, 2025
15. Don’t Let Damaging Thoughts Break You
<p>This week, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David continue the letter from Reb Usher which deals with one of the most painful questions in real avodas Hashem:</p><p>Why do the dirtiest, most damaging thoughts show up precisely in our holiest moments – during davening, on Yom Kippur, when we finally feel like we’re showing up?</p><p>Instead of letting those thoughts “prove” that we’re garbage, Reb Usher flips the script. He teaches that these intrusive machshavos are not a verdict on who we are – they’re a wake-up call to who we aren’t without Hashem, and an invitation to deeper bitul and compassion instead of toxic shame and self-loathing.</p><p>Rav Shlomo walks us through:</p><ul><li>Why the worst thoughts so often attack us in shul, during Shemoneh Esrei, or in moments of kedusha</li><li>The dangerous lie that “if I’m still thinking this, it must be the real me”</li><li>How Reb Usher reads “don’t let it break you” – let your heart crack open to Hashem, but don’t shatter as a person</li><li>The difference between healthy shiflus and the cycle of shame that actually feeds addiction</li><li>What this all means for a generation raised on TikTok, over-exposure, and impossible expectations</li><li>Why the Ba'al Teshuva has an advantage over someone who is Frum from Birth when these thoughts attack</li></ul><p>For anyone who’s ever walked out of davening feeling like, “If people knew what was in my head…”, this shiur is a lifeline. Don’t let damaging thoughts define you. Let them become the place where you discover how deeply Hashem is holding you, every second.</p><p>----------<br>For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com</p><p>Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t</p>
17 total episodes available
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