{"podcast":{"title":"The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz","slug":"the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010","podcast_index_feed_id":7750010,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz","website_url":"http://RavShlomoKatz.com","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/JX0M-eggFvQ8ub5VbD5jjAPN99UVGRBZ-rSgRVldhFE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hNTAy/MzFlNGIwYjc3ZmE5/OTQ3NTQ3NmQwZGFl/NjRlZC5qcGc.jpg","author":"Rav Shlomo Katz","episode_count":19,"summary":"The Laws of War and Peace with Rav Shlomo Katz is a series based on Hilchos Milchamah VeShalom by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, opening up the Torah of מלחמה ושלום for the times we are living in right now. In these episodes, Rav Shlomo explores the halachic, biblical, and inner spiritual foundations of war, courage, national responsibility, emunah, and redemption. Through the lens of Tanach, Chazal, and the living reality of Am Yisrael, this series asks: How is a Jew meant to think, feel, pray, and act in a time of מלחמה? What does true gevurah look like? How do we fight evil without losing humility? And how do war, mesirus nefesh, and miracles become part of the unfolding geulah?","last_synced_at":"2026-06-25T00:17:10.905999+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010"},"episode":{"title":"19. Can We Rely on Miracles?","slug":"19-can-we-rely-on-miracles","published_at":"2026-06-24T11:04:54+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010/19-can-we-rely-on-miracles","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/16ae0571","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/16ae0571/60bde264.mp3","summary":"Can a Jewish leader take a massive risk in order to save the Jewish people? Or does Torah demand that we avoid relying on miracles? In this final shiur of the season, Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David explore one of the deepest and most sensitive questions in Jewish history: Was it permissible for Ben-Gurion to declare the State of Israel when the odds of survival seemed impossible? Beginning with the story of Matityahu and the Maccabees, the shiur examines the Torah's approach to military risk, faith, and leadership. Why did some great rabbanim oppose Zionism? How should we understand those positions today? And how do Torah leaders balance military expertise with spiritual vision when making decisions that affect the lives of an entire nation? Along the way, Rav Shlomo reflects on the divisions within Am Yisrael, the legacy of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, Oslo, Iran, and the ongoing challenge of building a Jewish future rooted in both faith and responsibility. ---------- 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 CHAPTERS 00:00 - Intro, Dedications, and a Grandfather's Yahrzeit 03:15 - Can a Military General Halachically Take Risks? 08:45 - The Spiritual Roots of Anti-Zionism and Finding True Unity 16:20 - Ben Gurion's 1948 Declaration: A Miracle or a Gamble? 24:00 - Stop Settling: Living \"L'chatchila\" vs. \"Bedieved\" 35:30 - Bombing Iran and the Modern Miracles We Take for Granted 43:15 - Dovid HaMelech's Council: Balancing Strategy and the Sanhedrin 52:00 - Bottom-Up Brotherhood: What God Really Wants to Hear","meta_description":"Can a Jewish leader take a massive risk in order to save the Jewish people? Or does Torah demand that we avoid relying on miracles? In this final shiur of…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2874,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010/episodes/19-can-we-rely-on-miracles/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-laws-of-war-and-peace-with-rav-shlomo-katz-7750010/19-can-we-rely-on-miracles.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}