5. What am I Doing with Yom Hazikaron Today?

Rav Shlomo Katz asks a piercing question: What am I doing with Yom HaZikaron today?Drawing from the Ben Ish Chai, the Arizal, and the Tanya, he explores the mystical meaning of mesirut nefesh—the willingness to give one’s life for the sanctification of God’s Name. Rav Shlomo reveals how, according to our sages, every soul that falls al kiddush Hashem creates a cosmic tikkun, a reunion between heaven and earth, cleansing the nation and opening the gates of redemption.But he challenges us: if their sacrifice atones for the nation, how are we honoring it? om HaZikaron, he teaches, is not only a national day of mourning. It is a spiritual day of awakening. It’s a time to remember that holiness and heroism are not abstract; they live in our choices, in how we fill the void left behind, and in how we serve Hashem with all our heart, even when it hurts.