In Parshat Vayeira, the Ma’or Va-Shemesh teaches that after Avraham Avinu entered the covenant of brit milah, his holiness became so intense that even the malachim could not withstand his light.
So HaKadosh Baruch Hu sent him guests, angels in the guise of ordinary men. Why? Because even the greatest tzaddik must remain connected to olam ha-zeh, the physical world. Avraham’s hachnasat orchim was not just an act of kindness, it was the way he stayed mekushar, bound to this world, so he could draw down shefa and kedushah into it.
Before the brit, says the Ma’or Va-Shemesh, Avraham’s revelations were hidden from the angels; after the brit, the Divine Presence could be revealed openly through him.
That’s why the Torah says, “He sat at the entrance of the tent, in the heat of the day”. Avraham was burning with ahavat Hashem, yet saw himself only as sitting “at the doorway,” humble and ready to serve.
True kedushah, he reminds us, isn’t separation from the world, it’s bringing the Shechinah into it.
Use this source sheet, complete with footnoted sources and a concise, footnoted bio of R. Kalonymus Kalman Epstein (Ma’or Va-Shemesh) to enjoy this teaching at your own pace, perfect for self-learners.
Prepared by Rabbi Shalom (Saul) Orbach
The Ma’or Va-Shemesh is a classic Hasidic commentary on the weekly portions and festivals by R. Kalonymus Kalman Epstein of Kraków (1751-1823). A foremost later disciple, and for years the Shamash, of R. Elimelech of Lizhensk, he emerged after his rebbe’s passing as a leading figure in the fourth generation of Chassidut and of Polish Hasidism. His Torah blends close reading of the Psukim with mystical depth, emphasizing Dvekut, heartfelt prayer, joy, and sanctifying the everyday, with a hallmark leadership ethic: the tzaddik sweetens judgment into mercy and draws people close.