8. Parenting with Holy Chutzpah

In this heartfelt shiur, Rav Shlomo Katz draws from Rebbe Nachman, the Arizal, and the Baal Shem Tov to reveal the essence of godly parenting: creating space for our children to become themselves. Just as Hashem contracted His infinite light to form the chalal panui—the vacated space where creation could unfold—parents, too, must step back with patience, trust, and humility to let their children’s unique souls shine.

Through moving stories of fathers weeping over their children at night, the Baal Shem Tov’s “segulah” of tears, and the sacred power of trusting one’s child in a confusing world, Rav Shlomo shows how closeness is built not by control, but by vulnerability, compassion, and faith. Parenting, he reminds us, isn’t about molding our children into our expectations, but about believing that Hashem knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us the children we have.