The Torah Commentary of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach provides a glimpse into the unusual way in which the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach received and transmitted Torah. It also aids the reader in bridging "Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach the great composer/singer" and "Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach the great scholar/teacher." Those who sing his songs, but do not learn his Torah, only sing half a song. When Reb Shlomo speaks of Abraham and Sara, you are sure he is speaking about his own grandparents. When delving into the lives of Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel and Leah, it is as if he is speaking of his own parents.
The teachings in this book of commentary are not just meant to be read -- they are intended to be enjoyed and experienced as "holy music." Ultimately, they are intended as a lesson in living a "holy life." Wherever Reb Shlomo traveled in the world, he brought several suitcases of holy books with him. This book makes Reb Shlomo's teachings accessible to help us carry on our journey through life.
This volume covers the books of Leviticus (Vayikra) and Numbers (Bamidbar).
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (Reb Shlomo) was born in Berlin, Germany in 1925. He grew up with his twin brother, Eli Chaim, and his sister, Shulamith, near Vienna where his father, Rabbi Naftali, was Chief Rabbi. In 1939, as the war began to escalate and the Nazis' grip tightened, Shlomo and his family miraculously escaped to New York where he spent time learning by some of the greatest Torah scholars of the last century, such as Rabbi Ahron Kotler, Rabbi Shlomo Heiman and the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Even as a young boy, Shlomo's vision and clarity of thought set him apart from his peers as being amongst the most brilliant of the scholars. Through that vision, courage, and a deep love of all people, Shlomo took on a mission and set off on a path that many didn't believe in.
Reb Shlomo believed that to uplift, inspire, and bring joy to every human being was truly his reason for existing. Through his words of Torah, his music and his stories, Reb Shlomo touched the hearts and souls of all who were blessed to hear him. He sought to remind people that they are never alone, that there is one God who loves them, and that every person has a unique and important mission to discover for themselves. He was able to mend the spirits and lives of the most broken, distraught people worldwide -- people of all faiths and cultures. Much of Reb Shlomo's life was spent traveling the world, where he would sing with the poor, the lost and the lonely, and always swear he learned from them.
Even since his passing in 1994, many lives have been influenced and touched by Reb Shlomo's teachings, messages and melodies.
Rav Shlomo Katz is a Rabbi and a Musician. In 2006, Shlomo received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Chaim Brovender and Rabbi Shlomo Riskin at Yeshivat Hamivtar, and in 2016, became the Rabbi of the Shirat David Community in Efrat. He is also the head of Machon Zimrat Haaretz, a community kollel based in Shirat David, training young rabbis to become communal leaders. Rav Shlomo has released eight solo albums, and has published a number of books, based on the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach ob'm. In between teaching, he continues to tour, teach and perform throughout the world.
