The Real Shlomo Softcover

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin has undertaken the challenging task of unraveling the secrets of one of the most intriguing Rabbinical personalities of the 20th century, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Rabbi Dalfin is an assiduous researcher, energetically searching for hints and diligently deciphering riddles to try and illuminate the complex personality of Reb Shlomo. He has tracked down dozens of people who knew Reb Shlomo, and his persistent questioning has facilitated interviews of a revelatory nature. He grapples with thought-provoking issues such as Reb Shlomo’s relationship with his parents, his becoming a Chabadnik, and his transferring from Lakewood to Hasidism. He seeks to unravel the secrets of the inner-life of Reb Shlomo and opens a Pandora’s Box of new questions and conclusions including Shlomo’s remarkable success as a pioneer of Jewish outreach.

Dr. Natan Ophir (Offenbacher)
Author of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, Life, Mission, and Legacy

Rabbi Chaim Dalfin is a leading expositor of Chabad Hasidism in English, and an insightful and prolific writer. In this new book on the life of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, he delves into Reb Shlomo’s early life, including his relationship with his parents and his formative years in Lakewood and Lubavitch with an eye towards assessing his troubled legacy. Dalfin neither minimizes Reb Shlomo’s lasting impact on Jewish life nor shies away from the controversy surrounding him. This is a book people should read.