The Ma’or VaShemesh on Parshat Beha’alotecha develops two seemingly separate themes, the lighting of the Menorah and the inverted נו״ן surrounding “Vayehi Binso’a Ha’Aron” (“And it was when the Ark traveled”), but beneath the surface both are exploring the same spiritual question: how closeness to God is created, sustained, lost, and restored.
The piece begins with Aharon’s lighting of the Menorah. The Ma’or VaShemesh explains that the candles represent the souls of the Jewish people, and the role of the tzaddik (righteous spiritual leader) is to ignite those souls with love of God, Torah, and prayer. But the deeper challenge is not inspiration in the moment. People can feel uplifted in the presence of holiness, a great teacher, or a powerful spiritual experience, yet struggle to sustain that fire once the moment passes. That, says the Ma’or VaShemesh, is the meaning of Rashi’s comment that the flame must burn “ad she’tehei shalhevet oleh mei’eileha” (“until the flame rises on its own”). The true test of spiritual leadership is whether the encounter ignites something deep and lasting enough that it continues even after separation from the tzaddik.
At the same time, the Ma’or VaShemesh insists that this ability comes specifically through humility. The Menorah is described as “mikshah” (“hammered from a single piece”), which he reads as a description of the true spiritual leader: someone who sees himself as small before God and deeply connected to every Jew. Selflessness here is not merely a moral quality of leadership, but its spiritual mechanism. Precisely because the tzaddik is not centered on himself, he becomes capable of transmitting something larger than himself and awakening it within others.
The second half of the piece turns to the inverted נו״ן surrounding “Vayehi Binso’a Ha’Aron.” Here the Ma’or VaShemesh explains that exile, struggle, and spiritual concealment are real, but they are not signs of abandonment. God’s deepest desire is always closeness and kindness toward Israel. The inverted נו״ן represents moments when that connection feels disrupted or hidden, while Moshe’s prayer represents the possibility of restoring that connection and transforming דין (din, judgment) back into רחמים (rachamim, mercy).
Seen together, both halves of the piece are describing the same spiritual drama: what happens when connection weakens, whether between a person and God, a student and teacher, or moments of inspiration and ordinary life, and how that connection can be renewed and sustained.
The Ma’or VaShemesh ultimately suggests that true spiritual influence is measured not only by the intensity of the moment itself, but by what remains afterward. The role of the tzaddik is not merely to awaken inspiration while people stand nearby, but to ignite something lasting enough that it can continue to burn even through distance, struggle, and concealment. The challenge is not simply how to reach moments of elevation, but how to carry them into ordinary life, until the flame itself learns to rise on its own.
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.