# The Ba’al Shem Tov’s Secret to Entering Rosh Hashanah

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/entering-rosh-hashanah-with-rav-shlomo-katz-6592047/the-ba-al-shem-tov-s-secret-to-entering-rosh-hashanah
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/entering-rosh-hashanah-with-rav-shlomo-katz-6592047/the-ba-al-shem-tov-s-secret-to-entering-rosh-hashanah.md
Podcast: [Entering Rosh Hashanah with Rav Shlomo Katz](https://stenobird.com/podcast/entering-rosh-hashanah-with-rav-shlomo-katz-6592047)
Published: 2026-09-02T09:51:08+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/11aac84c
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/11aac84c/fa382358.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/entering-rosh-hashanah-with-rav-shlomo-katz-6592047/episodes/the-ba-al-shem-tov-s-secret-to-entering-rosh-hashanah
Duration seconds: 2513

## Resource

What happens when Elul doesn't go the way we planned? We enter the month with plans, kabbalos, hopes for who we're going to become. Then suddenly, Selichos is almost here. Rosh Hashanah is around the corner. And somehow, we're still us. In this shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David return to a mashal from the Ba’al Shem Tov about a fox, a group of animals, and their journey to face the lion they had rebelled against. The fox begins the journey armed with hundreds of brilliant parables to appease the king. But the closer he gets, the more he forgets, until finally, standing before the king, he has nothing left. And that may be exactly the point. What Hashem wants from us isn't another story about who we thought we'd become. It's for us to come. To show up honestly. To keep trying, to take on what we can, but ultimately to stand before the King without pretending that we've earned anything. CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening & Dedications 03:31 Rav Weinberger & Returning to the Ba’al Shem Tov 07:08 The Ba’al Shem Tov’s Fox & Lion 14:01 What the Mashal Means for Elul 19:08 All the Plans We Make for Elul 22:29 When Elul Doesn’t Go According to Plan 24:30 “I’ll Start When Selichos Begins” 26:05 Then Comes Rosh Hashanah… 27:48 Come Before the King Anyway 30:09 Teshuvah Never Ends 31:21 Nothing Can Separate You From Hashem 34:25 How We Really Enter Selichos 36:14 Asking Hashem for a Matnas Chinam 39:30 Show Up Authentically ---------- For more Shuirim and Music from Rav Shlomo Katz, visit: https://ravshlomokatz.com Join Rav Shlomo Katz's WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/KHKOhhPaeHx5Kb74WL9L9a?mode=ems_copy_t

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