Chesed, Purity, and Sweetened Judgments
In Parashat Chayei Sarah, the Ma’or Va-Shemesh reveals that Eliezer’s journey to find a wife for Yitzchak was far more than a practical mission, it was a spiritual shlichut.
When the Torah says, “וַיִּקַּח הָעֶבֶד עֲשָׂרָה גְמַלִּים מִגְּמַלֵּי אֲדֹנָיו וְכָל טוּב אֲדֹנָיו בְּיָדוֹ” (בראשית כ״ד:י׳), the Ma’or Va-Shemesh explains that Eliezer carried with him the light of Avraham’s chesed, the divine kindness through which the world itself is built: “עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה” (תהלים פט:ג׳).
Through the Akeidah, that chesed was drawn even into Yitzchak’s gevurah, so that the home he would build would unite love and strength.
When Eliezer prayed, “ה’ אֱ-לֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם, הַקְרֵה נָא לְפָנַי הַיּוֹם וַעֲשֵׂה חֶסֶד עִם אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם” (כ״ד:י״ב), he was drawing mercy from the highest realms — chesed elyon.
Yet, says the Ma’or Va-Shemesh, forces of din sought to attach themselves to Rivkah’s roots. The נֶזֶם זָהָב בֶּקַע מִשְׁקָלוֹ and the שְׁנֵי צְמִידִים עַל יָדֶיהָ עֲשָׂרָה זָהָב מִשְׁקָלָם (כ״ד:כ״ב) symbolized Eliezer’s spiritual work — breaking and sweetening those judgments so that mercy could prevail. Through that tikkun, Rivkah became the channel through which Yaakov, the embodiment of rachamim, would emerge.
Finally, the test of water: “הַגְמִיאִינִי נָא מְעַט מַיִם מִכַּדֵּךְ… וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁתֵה גַּם לִגְמַלֶיךָ אֶשְׁאָב” (כ״ד:י״ז–י״ט) — was more than a test of generosity. It revealed Rivkah’s tzniut and taharah.
A woman truly fit for Yitzchak would not hesitate to serve with humility, nor act from vanity or hidden motive. Her haste and sincerity — “וַתְּמַהֵר וַתֵּרֶד הַכַּד עַל יָדָהּ וַתַּשְׁקֵהוּ”, proved her purity.
In one parsha, the Ma’or Va-Shemesh shows how a Jewish home is built:
through chesed that flows from heaven, din that is sweetened into rachamim, and pure hearts that act לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם —for the sake of Heaven.
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.