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.
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.