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:
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?
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.
Rav Shlomo walks us through:
- Why the worst thoughts so often attack us in shul, during Shemoneh Esrei, or in moments of kedusha
- The dangerous lie that “if I’m still thinking this, it must be the real me”
- How Reb Usher reads “don’t let it break you” – let your heart crack open to Hashem, but don’t shatter as a person
- The difference between healthy shiflus and the cycle of shame that actually feeds addiction
- What this all means for a generation raised on TikTok, over-exposure, and impossible expectations
- Why the Ba'al Teshuva has an advantage over someone who is Frum from Birth when these thoughts attack
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.
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