ר׳ שלמה מקרלין

ר׳ שלמה מקרלין (1738–1792), also called ר׳ שלמה קרלינר, was the second major leader of Karlin Hasidism and an important transmitter of the movement into Volhynia. Born in Tulchyn to ר׳ מאיר, he was already a learned teacher before encountering ר׳ אהרן הגדול מקרלין, who directed him to ר׳ דוב בער המגיד ממזריטש. He became a disciple of both men and succeeded ר׳ אהרן after the latter’s death in 1772. At Karlin he cultivated the emotionally intense, loudly voiced prayer that remained characteristic of the dynasty. His model of the tsaddik emphasized the leader’s capacity to elevate attached followers, a view that differed from the greater stress on personal intellectual effort associated with ר׳ שניאור זלמן מליאדי. Opposition to Hasidism forced him from Karlin in 1781, and he established his court at Ludmir. His pupils included ר׳ מרדכי מלכוביץ, ר׳ אשר מסטולין and ר׳ אורי מסטרליסק, through whom several later courts emerged. During fighting at Ludmir in 1792 he was wounded by gunfire and died six days later. He left no authored book; teachings and stories survive through disciples and Karlin collections.