On the first of Shevat, Moshe Rabbaneu convened the Jewish people and began the 37-day “review of the Torah”, which he concluded on the day of his death on Adar 7. The second of Shevat is the Yahrzeit of Meshulam Zusha of Anipoli (1718-1800) who was a disciple Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezeritch. On the 3rd of Shevat we remember Reb Yosef ben Rabbi Menachem Kalish zt”l, the Amshinover Rebbe, who died in 1935. On the 4th of Shevat we celebrate the Yahrzeit of Reb Moshe Leib of Sasov (1745-1807), one of the early Chasidic Rebbes in Poland whose actions served as the basis of many of Reb Shlomo’s most memorable stories.

On the 5th of Shevat we remember the Yahrzeit of the “Sfas Emes”, Reb Yehudah Arye Leib Alter of Ger (1847-1905), who was the second Gerer Rebbe. On the seventh of Shevat, Reb Dovid Biederman of Lelov (1746-1814) passed on to olam habah.. He was a disciple of the Seer of Lublin. Reb Shlomo was influenced by Reb Dovid’s Ahavat Yisrael (love of his fellow Jew). Reb Dovid was incapable of seeing faults in a fellow Jew. Two printed collections of stories about him are Migdal David and Kodesh Hillulim. Rabbi Dovid’s main disciple was Rabbi Yitzchak of Vurke whose parables so influenced Reb Shlomo.

On the 22nd of Shevat we remember the Yahrzeit of the Kotzker Rebbe (Menachem Mendel of Kotzk (1787-1859)) the forerunner of the Chassidic dynasties of Ger and Kotsk and on the
25 of Shevat we remember Reb Yisrael Lipkin of Salant (1810-1883), the founder of the “Mussar” movement.

Tu Bishvat (Shevat 15), the “New Year of the Trees” (Rosh HaShanah La’Ilanot) is one of four “New Years” mentioned in the Mishnah. Many Chassidic Rebbes pickle or candy the etrog from Sukkot and eat it on Tu Bishvat and pray that they will be worthy of a beautiful etrog on the following Sukkot.

Read

• Shevat: Getting the Vessels to receive the Redemption
• Trees: Know what comes first
• Tu Bshvat and Passover: The Mystery of Seder Nights
• Shevat: The tree lives forever because the seed prayed so hard
• Tu Bshvat: The Prayers of the Trees

During Cheshvan we celebrate the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of Reb Shlomo and two Rebbes who Reb Shlomo frequently quoted. On the 3rd of Cheshvan we remember Yisroel Friedman (1797-1850) (Der Heyliger Rizhiner),  On the 11 Cheshvan we remember the memory of Reb Nachum of Chernobyl who was a disciple of Rabbi DovBer of Mezeritch, the founder of the Chernobyl dynasty of Chassidic Rebbes.

On the 27th of Cheshvan of the Hebrew year 1657 (2104 BCE) “the earth dried” (Genesis 8:14), which finished the 365-day duration of the Mabul, the great flood. Reb Shlomo taught us that on this day we should be like Noah and “Come out of the ark” by repopulating, settling and civilizing the planet that we all share.

Recommended Reb Shlomo Torahs about Yisroel Friedman (1797-1850) (Der Heyliger Rizhiner)

• Purim: Tears as shelach manos
• Teshuvah: Please take me back to you
• Ki Va Mo’ed: When the Time Comes

Reb Shlomo taught us that G-d inscribes each person’s fate for the coming year into a “book” on Rosh Hashanah and waits until Yom Kippur to “seal” the verdict. During the Ten Days of Repentance, we try to fix our behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against G-d (bein adam leMakom) and against our fellow planet sharers (bein adam lechavero).

Reb Shlomo taught us that Elul is a time of repentance in preparation for the High Holy Days. In Aramaic (the language of the Talmud), the word “Elul” means “search.” The Talmud writes that the Hebrew word “Elul” can be expanded as an acronym for “Ani L’dodi V’dodi Li” – “I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me.” Elul is seen as a time to search one’s heart and draw close to God in preparation for the coming Day of Judgement, Rosh Hashanah, and Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur.

Read:

Elul: Opening the Gates

Ki Va Mo’ed: When the Time Comes

Elul: Redemption Through Responsiveness

In the Babylonian (Talmud, Taanit 29a), we read

“When we enter [the month of] Av, our joy is diminished”.

This is due to the fact that the darkest events in Jewish history occurred during the first week and a half of this month, particularly The Nine Days which culminate in Tisha B’Av, (9th day of Av), the Temple in Jerusalem was twice destroyed.On full moon of the month we celebrate Tu B’Av which was is one of the happiest days of the year, and the day that Reb Shlomo officiated at many of the Chevra’s weddings.
Reb Shlomo shared with us many Torahs and Stories.

• Ki Va Mo’ed: When the Time Comes
• Tisha b’Av: Begging G-d for intimacy
• Tisha b’Av: Disposable Kinot
• The Third Temple: A Vision of Peace and Unity
• Don’t be a Talebearer: Become the master of your tongue

Reb Shlomo taught us that when we stay up all Shavuot night and learn Torah we give ourselves the strength to be fearless and to face everything that G-d puts in front of us. Let this Shavuot mark a new beginning to give us strength to begin all over again. Let this Shavuot help us understand that the deepest holiness is how we pray for our children.

Here are some of Reb Shlomo’s teachings for the Shavuot.

• Shavuos: Putting a little bit of Heaven into our lives
• Shavuot: Vessels to contain G-ds Light
• Shavuot: Opening gates between heaven and earth
• Lag B’Omer, Shavuot and Kiddish Levanah: You should always have someone to tell your secrets
• Shavuot: The Holiness of Shavuot Night
• Vav: Truth and beauty
• Ruth: the soul that really died for people

Reb Shlomo had a very deep connection to Yerushalayim. He often said that when we lost the Holy Temple in Yerushalayim, we lost the melody to the Holy Torah. We lost its deepest inner meaning. He felt that in our day and age, a whole new generation of young people are moving to a different beat. They hear a heavenly melody. They’re dancing a new dance. Reb Shlomo often inspired the young people of his generation to learn some of the words that were sung in the Holy Temple, so like it says in Psalms, we could ‘sing a new song to God!’ and combining the words and the melodies we could really rebuild Yerushalayim and fix the whole world.

4 Iyar – Yom Hazikaron (Israel Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance / Memorial Day)
5 Iyar – Yom Ha’atzma’ut (Israeli Independence Day)
14 Iyar – Pesach Sheini (Second Passover)
18 Iyar – Lag Ba’omer
28 Iyar – Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day: commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem).

During the Passover Season the Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach Foundation will post transcriptions, video and audio recordings of Reb Shlomo talking and singing about Passover. Check back frequently, as new content is posted daily!!

The Yahrtzeits (anniversary of the death) of many great Rebbe’s who inspired Reb Shlomo are celebrated during Adar. On Adar 4 is the Yahrtzeit of Reb Leib Sarah’s (1730-1796), a disciple of the Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov. One of the “hidden tzaddikim,” Rabbi Leib spent his life wandering from place to place to raise money for the ransoming of imprisoned Jews and the support of other hidden tzaddikim. On the 13th Adar we commemorate the Yahrtzeit of Reb Moshe Feinstein (March 3, 1895- March 23, 1986) and on Adar 20 we remember RebYoel Sirkes (1560-1640), who authored of the Bayit Chadash (“Bach”) commentary on the Halachic work, Beit Yosef. On the 23rd of Adar we commemorate the death of Reb Yitzchak Meir Altar (1799-1866), author of Chiddushei Harim who was a disciple of the Maggid of Koshnitz and Rabbi Simcha Bunim of Peshischa, and the founder of the “Ger” (Gerer) Chassidic dynasty. All his 13 sons had died in his lifetime, and he was succeeded (in 1870) by his young grandson, Rabbi Yehudah Leib Alter (the “Sefat Emmet”).

Reb Shlomo was always in “top form” during the week of Purim. He shared with us some of his deepest and most poignant Torah’s and Stories on Purim.

Here are some videos, music and stories and gevalt Purim Torahs!!

Be sure to come back on a daily basis as new content is added frequently!!

• Purim: Loving your neighbor like yourself
• Hamavdil Bein Kodesh L’chol
• Purim and Shelach Manos: Sending our love and our thoughts
• Purim: The beginning of our redemption
• Purim and Pessach: The beginning of our redemption
• Layehudim hayta ora: For the Jews there was great light
• Purim: Patience for people we love the most
• Purim: Shlomo and the Egged Bus Drivers
• Shoshanas Yaakov
• Purim: And Esther wrote – The role of Women in Judaism
• Purim: Nothing Else Matters
• Purim Blessings
• Purim: Tears as shelach manos
• The Fixing of Purim
• How Pinchas learned to say “GOOD PURIM ! ! !
• Saul and Mordechai: The holiest level of completely hating evil