There are moments in history that force a person to see life differently.
This shiur was given in real time, in the middle of a war, with a missile siren interrupting the learning itself. And maybe that is exactly why this Torah had to be learned now.
Rav Shlomo Katz and the women of Shirat David turn to Rebbe Nachman’s teaching on yishuv hadaat — settling the mind — and ask a piercing question: what are the fears that truly threaten us, and what are the fears that only seem to control us?
In a moment when danger is real, the contrast becomes sharper. We begin to notice how much of our daily anxiety comes not from what can actually harm us, but from stories, panic, conditioning, and the body’s old memories.
And yet, in the middle of all this, something else is being revealed: a hidden strength, a deep composure, a new kind of perspective. We see it in ourselves. We see it in our children. We see it in Am Yisrael.
This is a shiur about war, trauma, fear, taavot, breath, choice, and the possibility of becoming more settled — not after the chaos ends, but right in the middle of it.
Maybe one of the gifts that can emerge from this war is this: to finally recognize what deserves our fear… and what never did.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Opening Dedication and Sponsor Acknowledgment
02:38 Kids as a Generation of Ninjas
03:40 Reacting to Sirens and Shelter Procedures
10:43 Understanding Anxiety About Anxiety
13:41 Personal Story of Imagined Threat
15:31 Yetzer Hara Analogy and Facing Desires
23:43 Mind-Body Disconnect and Rewiring
25:24 Cold Plunges as Physical Barrier Breaking
26:59 Scaredy-cat Fears and Nonsense Anxiety
29:08 Irrational Fear Before the Mind Processes
30:48 Siren Warnings and Trauma-induced Panic
31:58 Distinguishing Fear from Desire to Control
36:40 War-time Sirens and PTSD Reminders
38:37 Jacob's Fear before Meeting Esau
46:35 Exhaustion and the Call for Adaptation
49:03 Distinguishing Healthy Fear from Motivating Taiva
50:31 Moshe Rabbeinu, Nitzavim, and Overcoming Curses
51:56 Rabbi Nachman's Teaching on Choice and Yishuv Hadaat
