The Soul of Jerusalem

The Soul of Jerusalem is closely based on Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zt”ls wisdom and inspiration. In this remarkable volume, we are taken to the Holy Wall. In this life-changing work, we will hear the singing of the Levites, feel the crying of exile, and be inspired by the trumpet of the Great Day to come.

Masterfully adapted by Rabbi Shlomo Katz (renowned musician and creator of the best-selling and acclaimed The Soul of Chanukah: Teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach), these teachings touch the soul.

From the back-cover:

What are you willing to wait for?
I’m not going to sit and wait for a bagel for two hours. It’s not worth it. Why? Because life is more important.
How long will you sit and wait for a friend? You’ll sit as long as they are important to you. Some friends are “two-hours” important to you, others are “three-hours.” Another is even “five-hours” important. But I’m not going to sit for three days.

Can you imagine waiting for somebody 2,000 years?
We’ve been waiting for Yerushalayim for 2,000 years.
We’ve been thinking about Yerushalayim for 2,000 years.
The truth is that I’m always thinking about Yerushalayim. It is the one place I never stop thinking about.<br?you can=”” talk=”” to=”” me=”” about=”” anything=”” in=”” the=”” world,=”” but=”” deep,=”” deep=”” inside,=”” i’m=”” thinking=”” yerushalayim.<br=””>You can talk to me about anything in the world, but deep, deep inside, I don’t stop thinking about the 6 million. I can’t.
How can you forget them for one second?
How can you forget Yerushalayim for one second?

There is a little land. In that little land, there is a little city. In that city there is a little street, and on that street there is a little wall. When you stand by that Holy Wall, you can hear the footsteps of our father Abraham, and you can hear the trumpet of the Great Day to come. You hear the past and you can hear the future. You can hear the singing of the Levites. Or, you can hear us crying, going into exile. You can hear the six million crying out of the gas chambers, and you can hear the trumpet of the Great Day to come. I was standing one early morning by the Holy Wall, and I was saying Kaddish for my father. But when you stand by that Holy Wall, you say Kaddish for the whole world. Sometimes you feel like saying Kaddish for your own soul, and sometimes you feel like saying Kaddish for tomorrow. Then you hear the words Yisgadal V’yiskadash Shmei Raba, May G-d s Name become great and sanctified, and you remember there is one G-d, and you know that the Great Morning is coming. You know that day and night will get together. The living and the dead, we and the whole world. This is my song, the song of tears, because on that Great Day the tears will march through the world, and the whole world will join them. The tears will clear the world and prepare the world. Everything will come together. We will all come together. It will be a new morning – a new beginning. In this remarkable and life-changing work, the reader is transported to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem to be inspired by the teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zt”l. Masterfully adapted by Rabbi Shlomo Katz (renowned musician and creator of the best-selling and acclaimed The Soul of Chanukah: Teachings of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach), these teachings touch the soul.

About Author:
Rabbi Shlomo Katz is a world-renowned musician. He has released seven albums and has conducted numerous concert tours throughout the United States, Israel, South Africa, South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe. After learning in Yeshivat HaMivtar in Efrat, Israel, he received his semichah,rabbinic ordination, in 2006 and has been teaching ever since. Rabbi Katz has been an integral part of building the Shlomo Carlebach Foundation which has been working to preserve, publish and distribute the legacy of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach zt”l as a Jewish national treasure.

In between his teaching in Efrat, Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo, and Web Yeshiva, Shlomo continues to tour, teach, and perform throughout the world. Rabbi Katz lives in Efrat, with his wife Bina and daughters, Tiferet and Ora Menucha.