1. The Angels Who Turned Back
In Parshat Vayera why does the Torah describe the malachim departing for Sedom more than once, and why did they not arrive until evening? Drawing on Bereishit Rabbah, the Maor VaShemesh explains that although the angels had been sent to carry out the decree against Sedom, they were malachei rachamim. They actually reached Sedom and turned back, looking toward Avraham Avinu, who remained standing before Hashem in tefillah, hoping that his middah of chesed might yet be mam’tik the dinim.
The Midrash’s teaching that angels have no oref reflects their absence of harshness and stubbornness, while the image of sprinkling sulfur into a fire little by little expresses their reluctance to punish.
Even when din is justified, its execution should not be accompanied by eagerness for destruction. If such rachamim extend even to the people of Sedom, how much more so to Klal Yisrael.
3. The Argument Behind the Akeidah
The Maor VaShemesh offers a remarkable interpretation of the Akeidah as a disagreement between Avraham and Yitzchak over the proper relationship between chesed and gevurah. Avraham believed that the world could endure only through rachamim, while Yitzchak maintained that immediate din was necessary to deter wrongdoing. Since an olah atones for improper thoughts, Avraham wondered which of them had misunderstood the Divine will.
The phrase vayevaka atzei olah alludes to his dividing the etzah, deliberating between their positions throughout the three-day journey. He ultimately found his answer in the Gemara’s teaching that HaKadosh Baruch Hu requested a korban of kapparah for diminishing the moon: even justified punishment should not be imposed without restraint.
When Avraham placed the wood upon Yitzchak, and subsequently explained Elokim yir’eh lo haseh l’olah, he conveyed this understanding to his son. Only then could the Torah say again, vayelchu shneihem yachdav, as father and son arrived at a shared understanding of the place of rachamim within din.
Use this source sheet for further exploration of Parshat VaYera, 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.