Reb Dovid Leikes prepared all year to spend Rosh Hashanah with the Baal Shem Tov—only to have his wagon break down near a small village desperate for a tenth man. He pressed on to his Rebbe, but the welcome wasn’t what he expected. Rav Shlomo Katz shares a story of holy longing, unexpected purpose, and the revelation that sometimes, a single mitzvah may be the very reason our soul came into this world.

Before traveling to Eretz Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov warns a student to guard every word he speaks. When a mysterious man at the Kotel asks if the Jews are still “managing” in exile, his answer carries cosmic weight. Rav Shlomo Katz shares a chilling story of speech, exile — and a silent encounter with Avraham Avinu himself.

On Rosh Hashana, a sick student of the Baal Shem Tov suddenly craves… herring. Rav Shlomo Katz shares a surprising and mystical tale about how the yetzer hara targets the one thing that matters most, and how resisting a single bite can be the key to spiritual victory.

When the Seer of Lublin seeks deeper wisdom, Reb Zusha teaches him the secret of true teshuvah: not by scolding darkness, but by praying for light. Rav Shlomo Katz shares how the Baal Shem Tov’s revolution was to lift souls from within, not by shame, but by sacred love.

In a town full of skeptics, the Baal Shem Tov speaks one verse, and the fiercest philosophers begin proclaiming faith. Rav Shlomo Katz recounts a story of divine power, showing how even the sharpest minds are still held in the hands of Heaven.

Two tzaddikim, one conversation before sleep. The Riminover sweetens judgment in heaven; the Apter Rebbe prepares the angels for a new song. In this intimate and mystical tale, Rav Shlomo Katz asks: What are you busy with when the world is asleep?

The Apter Rebbe knew he’d fall short in davening, learning, even deeds — but not in love for fellow Jews. On his tombstone, as he requested, it says only: “Here lies a lover of Israel.” Rav Shlomo Katz shares a story of boundless ahavas Yisrael that defined a life and a legacy.

The Apter Rebbe wept for days, mourning not the past, but the unimaginable pain he foresaw in Am Yisrael’s future. When asked why, he replied: “Because I know how much we’re able to bear.” Rav Shlomo Katz shares a heart-wrenching story of prophetic grief, Jewish resilience, and the sacred hope for tears of joy.