Did Chazal really tell us to distract ourselves from anticipating the arrival of Mashiach?

The Midrashim, R' Shimon bar Yochai and the Chida explain how the merit to redemption lies within the anticipation.

One who believes in the coming of Mashiach without anticipation is left with a very weak sense of believing in the coming of Mashiach. What is necessary in order to truly anticipate the arrival of Mashiach?

An integral part of our learning is focusing in on the following: do we really understand what we are asking for when praying for the coming of Mashiach? Is it just to bring an end to war, or is that just an external piece of the enterprise?

Nothing should really shock us today. When we look deeply into our holy sages of 2000 years ago, they, more or less, gave us a play-by-play of the unfolding of our current times. Based on words from R' Menachem Brod, we stay focused and gain clarity regarding the times we are living in, the days that precede the coming of Mashiach.

Rabbi Rich recollects several Hineni moments that have brought us to this very day... By Rabbi Rich Nichol at Ruach Israel, September 20, 2025

As a hint at our next new series, we want to share with you our 2023 episode with Moshe Koppel—a computer scientist and Talmud scholar—about Torah and its intersection with artificial intelligence.In a world in which technology puts vast libraries of Torah at our fingertips, we are tasked with thinking more deeply about what essentially human abilities we bring to the enterprise of Torah and tefillah. In this episode we discuss:What computer-based innovations are on the horizon in the realm of Torah

Live niggunim, a Carduner melody, and a short, fiery teaching: Rav Shlomo Katz opens Eretz Ḥefeẓ and Orot to frame the avodah of Yom Ha’atzmaut. Drawing on Rav Kook’s language, he argues it’s not merely harder, but essentially impossible, to be fully faithful to our holiest visions in ḥutz la’aretz; the avira d’Eretz Yisrael empowers those sparks to become deeds.

n this riveting shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz opens one of Rav Kook’s earliest and most passionate writings — his 1907 Kol Koreh (“Call to Come Home” from Jaffa) — and asks: Would anything need to be changed if we sent this same invitation today?Rav Shlomo reads through Rav Kook’s thunderous proclamation, line by line, together with his students: “Come to Eretz Yisrael, pleasant brothers and sisters… save your souls and the souls of your generations.” What begins as a century-old letter unfolds

In this passionate and deeply relevant shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz confronts one of the most overlooked mitzvot of our generation — becoming loving, articulate spokespeople for the holiness of the Land of Israel.Amid the emotional weight of Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut, Rav Shlomo turns to Rav Kook’s writings to reveal that much of the world’s spiritual “exile” stems from our failure to speak about the beauty, wisdom, and kedusha of Eretz Yisrael. The tikkun for the sin of the

In the most emotionally charged week of the Jewish year—from Yom HaZikaron into Yom HaAtzmaut—Rav Shlomo Katz explores Rav Kook’s vision of loving Eretz Yisrael without judgment and with purpose. Centering a 1921 letter, he unpacks Rav Kook’s call to ezrahut Eretz Yisrael (taking legal citizenship) as an act of hodaa—openly “owning” our bond with the Land like Yosef HaTzadik did—rather than keeping Israel as a distant concept. Along the way, Rav Shlomo speaks frankly about the old debates

We woke up.We got washed. We got dressed. Now it’s time to go outside. 🌿 Invite. Include. Rejoice.

Rav Shlomo opens with a live, musical Hallel and a heart-level question: “What am I doing here?” Drawing from the Baal HaTanya, Ulla, the Ramban, Sefer Charedim, and Rebbe Nachman, he frames Eretz Yisrael as the soul’s return to a mother’s embrace—cheik em—and invites a deeper cheshbon nefesh about love of the Land, aliyah, and the mesirut nefesh it takes to truly “acquire” Israel. Dedicated to the memory of Ari Yehoshua ben Rav Shlomo Menachem HaLevi (Ari Weiss), this episode blends

In this episode, journalist Olivia Reingold from The Free Press joins as the guest. Olivia discusses her personal journey with Jewish identity, reflecting on generational changes, feelings of guilt, and the impact of recent events like October 7th. She shares her background as a former podcast producer and radio reporter, and explains her transition into journalism. The conversation delves into the mission of The Free Press, a media outlet formed by journalists who left mainstream organizations to

How can you ask God to do anything if you are not tithing?  “The silver is mine and the gold is mine,” says Adonai Tz’va’ot  “The glory of this new house will surpass that of the old,” says Adonai Tz’va’ot, “and in this place I will grant shalom,” says Adonai Tz’va’ot.

New Beginnings - Oct 15, 2025 - לזכר נשמת ‏אבי מורי קלונימוס קלמן בן יעקב יצחק ז״ל

In this powerful conversation, Rav Shlomo Katz sits down with his dear friend Justin Pines for a special episode recorded for JBS Network, in honor of a very challenging upcoming Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut.Together, they explore the sacred transition between Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut — the moment when a nation moves from mourning to renewal, from loss to life. Speaking with warmth and honesty, Rav Shlomo shares his personal experiences from October 7th and beyond, reflecting on

Rav Shlomo Katz asks a piercing question: What am I doing with Yom HaZikaron today?Drawing from the Ben Ish Chai, the Arizal, and the Tanya, he explores the mystical meaning of mesirut nefesh—the willingness to give one’s life for the sanctification of God’s Name. Rav Shlomo reveals how, according to our sages, every soul that falls al kiddush Hashem creates a cosmic tikkun, a reunion between heaven and earth, cleansing the nation and opening the gates of redemption.But he challenges us: if

On this Yom HaZikaron gathering, Rav Shlomo Katz sits with Rabbi Stewart & Susie Weiss for a raw, heart-open conversation about memory, faith, and the price of coming home. Through song, tears, and stories of their son Ari Weiss z”l, they invite us into the sacred space where private grief becomes the heartbeat of a people.We hear what it means to choose life after loss, to hold fast to emunah when nothing makes sense, and to see Geulah not as a slogan but as a daily posture—loving each

In this Yom HaZikaron teaching, Rav Shlomo Katz draws from Eim Habanim Smeicha to reveal a profound truth — that teshuvah, the return to God, is incomplete without aliyah, the return home. Through the words of Rav Yissachar Shlomo Teichtel, Rav Shlomo uncovers how the spiritual and physical journeys of return are inseparable: the soul’s longing for its Source mirrors the nation’s longing for its Land.Delivered on Yom HaZikaron, this shiur transforms remembrance into mission, reminding us