Chovas Hatalmidim

Finishing the intro of the Chovas Hatalmidim.

How do you rebuke someone without crushing them?

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David learns the Piaseczner Rebbe’s deep and compassionate approach to giving tochacha (rebuke) —not through guilt or sadness, but by awakening the soul's hidden strengths.

The Rebbe teaches that real mussar begins by helping a child see who they truly are and what they’re capable of. When we say, "You know you're better than this," we’re not just correcting behavior—we're uncovering greatness. Rav Shlomo explores how a shift in tone, intention, and self-awareness can transform conflict i...

The Piaseczner Rebbe reveals the way to the child/studen'ts heart.

Rav Shlomo Katz unpacks the Piaseczner Rebbe’s vision of the educator as a Kohen in the Beis HaMikdash — one who doesn’t just deliver information but stands by patiently, lovingly, until the flame of the student rises on its own.

The shiur weaves together powerful memories, stories of music and parenting, and the transformative power of physical excitement as a gateway to spiritual awakening. From choir rehearsals to four-wheel drives in the desert, Rav Shlomo shows how lighting up a child’s soul often begins in the body, thorugh movement, song, and tangible joy.

The mess...

From the teachings of the Piasetner Rebbe, R' Klonymus Kalman Shapiro HY'D

The knowledge a child knows in his heart is something he knows so so well, and so much more deeply than anything he may learn with his mind.

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David return to the Piaseczner Rebbe’s urgent plea—not just to educate the child’s mind, but to awaken their soul. 

The Rebbe warns that logic alone won’t win the battle for our children’s hearts; passion will. If we don't teach Torah in a way that ignites emotional excitement and deep connection, the hollow beauty of the outside world will inevitably take hold.

Rav Shlomo connects this message to the Ba'al Shem Tov’s original revolution: that real his'kashrus—real connection—comes not just from understandin...

From the teachings of the Piasetner Rebbe, R' Klonymus Kalman Shapiro HY'D

From the teachings of the Piasetner Rebbe, R' Klonymus Kalman Shapiro HY'D

The Piasetzner Rebbe published his work, Chovas Hatalmidim, in 1932. After learning this lesson, you'll swear that he wrote it last week.

Youth....who made you feel so threatened?
Youth...who ever looked at you with nothing but love?
Youth....do you want to come back home?

Rav Shlomo Katz explores the Piaseczner Rebbe’s heartbreak over a generation drifting from its spiritual roots—and the crushing responsibility placed on parents, teachers, and leaders to confront it. What happens when the mesorah breaks? When the world your children live in no longer reflects the values you're trying to pass down?

Through powerful personal stories and painful honesty, Rav Shlomo invites us to examine the subtle ways we allow impurity and confusion to seep into our homes, especially through music. He challenges us to stop making excuses and instead reclaim our sacred role in shaping our...

We hear the Piaseczner’s impassioned plea to rabbanim, mechanchim, and roshei yeshiva: look beyond your immediate walls—your daled amos—and recognize the wider world aching for spiritual connection. So many precious neshamos are wandering lost, waiting for someone to truly see them, believe in them, and guide them home.

The Piasetzner's untimely advice to those thinking of going into Chinuch, and to those who went into it without acknowledging it.

The Bnei Machshava tova Chabura begin learning the sefer Chovas Hatalmidim, written and published by R' Klonymus Kalman Shapira ztz'l Hy'd in 1932.

In this opening episode, Rav Shlomo Katz reintroduces the sacred journey into Chovas HaTalmidim, the Piaseczner Rebbe’s only sefer published in his lifetime—an intimate, burning letter to the Jewish youth of every generation. With raw emotion and reverence, Rav Shlomo shares the Rebbe’s vision of true education: not as instruction or expectation, but as an invitation to deeply see the soul of the student and draw out their unique light.

We hea...

What kind of educators are we seeking for our children, and why are we willing to compromise?

What do you want to last within your child's education, once they are out of the house?

Rav Shlomo Katz and the chevra of Shirat David delve into the Piaseczner Rebbe’s deep redefinition of "chinuch"—not as discipline or instruction, but as the art of revealing the child's inner soul and potential. Drawing from the foundational ideas in Chovas HaTalmidim, the shiur explores how true education is not about imposing one's own spiritual identity onto a student, but about guiding each child to uncover their unique path in Torah and life.

With insights from Rav...

The first piece from the Piasetnzer Rebbe's "Chovas Hatalmidim"