In Parshat Bereishit, the Maor VaShemesh teaches that creation isn’t just history, it’s a living blueprint for our inner life.
“In the beginning” = God’s first tzimtzum (contraction), making space for a finite world.
The first light was too radiant to endure; it was hidden for the righteous and is accessed through Torah learned in purity.
Wherever the Torah says VaYihi Ken, “and it was so,” nature is fixed. Where it’s missing, God leaves room for freedom, growth, and providence.
Humanity notably lacks VaYihi Ken, as we are unfinished by design.
Why? Because God wants a partner in creation. By leaving parts of the world “unfinished,” He invites us to join the work: refining ourselves, elevating the world, and revealing the hidden light through our choices.
Bottom line: Creation is ongoing. Each day we decide whether to drift with nature, or to co-create, becoming vessels for that hidden light.
Use this source sheet with footnotes, sources, and a concise, Maor VaShemesh Biography of R. Kalonymus Kalman Epstein (Ma’or Va-Shemesh), to enjoy this teaching at your own pace, perfect for self-learners. Best wishes for a Chag Sameach and Chatima Tova!
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.