|
Rabbi
Klonymos Kalman Halevi Epstein
Born: Galicia, Southeast Poland, (date unknown)
Died: Cracow, Poland, 1827
Rabbi Klonymos Kalman Halevi Epstein, better known as the
Maor
Vashemesh
("Light and Sun"), the title of his work, was the most celebrated of
the students of Rabbi
Elimelech of Lizhensk. He pays tribute to his mentor with the words,
"The world was desolate until the two great luminaries appeared on the
scene: the Baal
Shem Tov and Rabbi Elimelech. They opened the gate to God for the
righteous to enter." His
devotion to his master reached such proportions that he once prostrated himself
on Rabbi Elimelech's grave and remained motionless there for hours in deep
concentration.
The
Maor Vashemesh was also a follower of the great chassidic sages
Rabbi
Yechiel Michel of Zlotchov,
the Chozeh
of Lublin, and
Rabbi
Menachem Mendel of Rymanov.
The
Chozeh
of Lublin
said that R' Klonymos is the reincarnation of the
Tana
Rabbi Eliezer ben Charsom,
who was a Kohen Gadol (high priest) during the Second Temple.
While spending time with R' Elimelech of Lizhensk he merited to see Avraham
Avinu (Abraham the Patriarch). For R' Elimelech it was a sign that the Maor
Vashemesh should start leading a community. At 1785 The Maor Vashemesh started
heading the Jewish community of Cracow, he was met with significant opposition,
but even his opposers
recognized his greatness and righteousness.
His work Maor
Vashemesh was published by his son Rabbi
Aharon Epstein; it offers profound chassidic insights interwoven with
kabbalistic thoughts, arranged according to the weekly Torah portions. It is
recognized as one of the most significant books on chassidic ideology and has
gained universal acceptance.
The Maor Vashemesh was very proficient in the Zohar and encouraged everybody to
study Mishnayot,
Gemara and Zohar before praying.
After his death in 1827 he was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Aharon Epstein, who
was also an eminent scholar.
Divine
"Restrictions" and "Garments"
Maor
Vashemesh, Lech Lecha
Abraham was 99 years old. God appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty;
walk before Me and be perfect."
(Genesis
17:1)
Rabbi Klonymos Kalman: The essence of God's being is beyond human comprehension.
However, God in His wisdom rigorously restricted His Divinity in order that man
should be capable of gaining a very minute glimmer of understanding of the
splendor of His Divine Light. God restricted Himself within ten
"garments"-the ten sefirot, vessels through which the Light of
the Creator is emanated to man. By virtue of this tzimtzum (Divine
restriction), man
can attain cognizance of God, ascending progressively to ever higher levels of
understanding. He can achieve this by removing one restrictive
"garment" after another until he reaches the stage of attaching
himself to the Great Light of the Ein Sof, the Infinite.
God created the physical world after subjecting Himself to thousands
of restrictions of His spirituality, enveloping Himself with numerous enclosures
and barriers. He placed man in this physical world, and He rewards him for
attempting to break through these barriers with all his might in order to come
closer to Him and attach himself to Him. Thus, the greater the tzimtzum, the
greater is man's reward for shattering the restrictive barriers by
searching
and probing the ultimate Truth of God until he has erased the final obstruction,
and reaches the splendor of the Divine Light. Indeed, this is the
intent of the Mishnah (Avot 5:1), which states "With ten utterances the
world was created...in order to bestow goodly reward upon the righteous who
sustain the world that was created with ten utterances."
Although God created the world under the cover of ten "garments" and
reach the nearness of God. By rising above the physical aspects of the mundane
world and reaching out to the spiritual world, they earn a rich reward.
May
the merit of the Tzaddik Rabbi
Klonymos Kalman Halevi Epstein,
protect us all, Amen.
|