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In this week’s parsha, the Ma’or VaShemesh highlights three subtle details that together reveal a profound spiritual principle. The Parsha begins: “And He called to Moses.” Chazal note that every divine communication to Moses was preceded by a call. The Meor vShemesh explains that Moses consistently stood aside, believing himself unworthy of such revelation. Because he did not presume to step forward, G-d had to call him. Immediately afterward we encounter another detail: the word “Vayikra” is written with a small aleph. This too reflects Moses’ humility. True humility is not simply declining honor while believing one deserves it. It is the deeper awareness that honor is not due at all. Because Moses truly saw himself as small, he was chosen for greatness. As the Zohar puts it: “The one who is truly small becomes great.” Then the Torah continues: “Adam, when he brings an offering…” The Ma’or VaShemesh notes that the Torah uses the word Adam deliberately (instead of the more general Ish), alluding to Adam HaRishon, whose single act affected the entire world. From here comes a striking teaching: every person must see himself as capable of tipping the balance of the entire world through his actions. Taken together, these ideas create a powerful paradox: A person must see himself as small before G-d, yet at the same time recognize that his choices carry immense responsibility.  Avodat Hashem requires us to live with this paradox: to see ourselves as small before G-d, yet to know that our choices can tip the balance of the entire world.  

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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.

Vayakhel:

The Ma’or VaShemesh on Vayakhel teaches that when Bnei Yisrael brought materials for the Mishkan, they did not simply give. They verbally designated their gifts for the sake of the Mishkan and the dwelling of the Shechinah. Through that designation, Kedusha from above was drawn down into the materials themselves, allowing the Mishkan to become a vessel for the Divine Presence. From here he draws a broader lesson. Speech can elevate action. When a person says and intends that his work is for the sake of Shabbat, Tzedaka, or Avodat HaShem, that intention brings Kedusha into the act and draws blessing into life. The world is not sanctified with Kedusha only through great sacred structures. The sanctification of the world often begins with the words we attach to our everyday actions.

Pikudei:

In Parashat Pekudei, the Ma’or VaShemesh asks a powerful question about the opening verse  “אלה פקודי המשכן משכן העדות.” What exactly is the edut, the “testimony,” of the Mishkan? The Midrash teaches that when the Mishkan was completed there was something left over, as the Torah itself says: “והמלאכה היתה דים… והותר” — “the work was sufficient… and there was extra.”   Moshe asked what should be done with the ‘extra’. The conventional understanding is that this refers to the materials or money that had been donated.  But the Ma’or VaShemesh offers a deeper understanding. The true “extra” was not the donations themselves, but the Kedusha created by the love, awe, and devotion with which the people brought their gifts. That surplus Kedusha, he explains, was placed by Moshe into the Torah’s own account of the Mishkan. The Torah itself became the Mishkan HaEdut, preserving that sanctity as a testimony for future generations. When these passages are studied with sincerity and devotion, something of that original kedusha can still be awakened.  The Mishkan was built once in the desert.  But its kedusha was preserved in the Torah for every generation to rediscover.  

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Use this source sheet for Vayakhel and this source sheet for Pekudei, 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.

In this week’s parashah, the Ma’or VaShemesh offers a profound chiddush in understanding the sin of the Golden Calf. The episode was not simply a collapse into rebellion. Rather, it was a tragic miscalculation in the pursuit of יראת הרוממות, awe of the Divine. When the Torah says “כי בושש משה,” the people felt they had lost the living conduit through which they could attain יראת הרוממות, awe of the Divine. True fear of God cannot usually be seized directly. It is cultivated through reverence for a tzaddik, which serves as the conduit that leads a person toward that higher awareness. While Moshe stood among them, he served as that conduit. When he delayed returning, and the people believed he would not return, that conduit was lost. Deprived of Moshe, the people sought another way to recreate that experience. Their request to Aaron, “עשה לנו אלהים,” which the Targum renders “עבד לנא דחלין,” meaning “make for us something we will fear,” was an attempt to generate awe through some other means, some other conduit, not to serve another god. Their failure was not theological betrayal but a tragic mistake in the path they chose to reach the Divine. They confused יראה חיצונית, external fear, with authentic awe that leads to awareness of God. Even the Torah’s description of them as “עם קשה עורף” becomes reframed. They remained stubborn in their longing to reach God, though tragically misguided in how they tried to do so. Moshe’s plea, “ועתה אם תשא חטאתם,” reflects the possibility that repentance can transform even grave failure, reinterpreting the sin as error rather than rebellion. The final proof of authentic awe appears in Moshe himself. The verse “קרן עור פניו” is not merely poetic radiance. The Ma’or VaShemesh explains that when a person sanctifies himself completely, the Divine presence rests upon him so powerfully that it becomes visible. Before Israel, that light radiates and inspires awe. Before the Shechinah, however, it dissolves like a candle before a torch. The episode therefore unfolds in three movements: the search for יראת הרוממות, the search for that awe through the wrong conduit, and finally the example of Moshe himself, whose holiness reflects the Divine presence. True יראת הרוממות cannot be manufactured. It must be cultivated through the proper conduit that leads a person toward awareness of the Divine.  

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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.

The Ma’or VaShemesh teaches that Purim is not just a story of salvation, but a map of how evil is confronted, silenced, and ultimately transformed. The Ma’or VaShemesh opens with the verse “והשתיה כדת אין אונס” — there is no coercion. A person is given real bechirah. “לעשות כרצון איש ואיש” hints to Mordechai and Haman within us, the yetzer tov and the yetzer hara. The King of the world established it this way: the choice is ours. From there, the teaching unfolds. Why is the source in the Torah that Chazal associate with Mordechai linked to the ketoret? The ketoret contained eleven spices corresponding to the forces of impurity, and its smoke purified and drove away the sitra achra. Even the foul-smelling chelbenah had to be crushed and blended until it was nullified within the fragrance. So too Mordechai. Just as mor deror was the ראש of the ketoret with the power to dispel impurity, Mordechai had the strength to crush and nullify Haman and his ten sons. Lastly, why did Esther need to invite Achashverosh and Haman to two meals? Why not one? Here the Ma’or VaShemesh reveals the deep connection between Purim and Yom Kippur. The two feasts parallel the two goats — first silencing the accusation, then transforming the accuser into a defender. The work is not only to defeat evil, but to reverse it and sweeten it. Purim is about v’nahafoch hu — not only in history, but within the soul.  

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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.

Tezaveh

In this week’s Parsha, the Meor V’Shemesh describes a powerful cycle between a leader and the community. When people approach a tzaddik with a sincere, “crushed” heart, genuinely seeking how to grow, their humility does not only benefit them. It draws down new wisdom for the leader himself. Their longing becomes his oil. Like the olive that must be כתית, crushed, to produce light, only a humbled heart can channel illumination. He then uncovers the deeper code of the Kohen Gadol. The priestly garments atone only when worn by a leader who embodies מ״ה, Moshe’s radical humility. The twelve stones of the breastplate contain forty-five letters, the numerical value of מ״ה, hinting that judgment is sweetened only when ego dissolves. When both leader and people stand in that place of “what are we,” strict justice is lifted to its source and transformed into mercy. Our crushed moments are not obstacles. They are often the very opening through which greater light emerges.  

Tezaveh and Zachor

In this week’s parsha’s connection to Parshat Zachor, the Meor V’Shemesh reframes Amalek. Amalek is not only an ancient enemy. He is קרך, coldness, the cooling of love between people. עמלק equals רם, exaltedness. When ego rises, a person sees the faults of others and unity fractures. When humility deepens, we see the greatness in one another and warmth returns. The Meil and Ephod of the Kohen Gadol, which atone for lashon hara and idolatry, become symbols of this inner battle. They sweeten the cold pride that fuels separation. “תמחה את זכר עמלק” becomes an inner instruction. Remove  the numerical value of זכר from עמלק and what remains is י״ג, the value of אהבה and אחד. Erase ego, and what remains is love. Redemption begins when warmth returns.    

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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.