Maor Vashemesh: Darkness Has a Limit, and Redemption Is Near

On the yahrzeit of Rabbi Klonimus Kalman Epstein, author of Maor Vashemesh, the article draws a lesson from Parashat Matot: even darkness has a boundary. It says that during the war people are seeing miracles, but are also asking when the hardship will finally end. The piece frames that question as both spiritual and personal, asking whether the darkness in a person’s life can ever give way to light.

The answer offered is that God governs the world at every moment, even when life appears uncontrolled. The article says the purpose of concealment is to give human beings free choice between good and evil, and that this period of darkness has a precise end point. According to the text, the arrival of the Messiah will reveal God’s kingship and remove the present need for that choice.

The article repeatedly cites teachings attributed to the Baal Shem Tov and to Maor Vashemesh. It says there is no place empty of God, that God continually renews creation, and that every person is watched and guided. Hardship, it says, is not meant to break a person but to draw them back to God, and even hidden suffering contains a divine presence.

The piece also quotes the verse, “kets sam lachoshekh,” saying God has set a limit for darkness. It encourages readers to search for whatever small good they can find in a trial, because one spark of light can drive away great darkness. The article concludes that a person can turn distress into prayer and merit mercy, and it ends with a blessing for soon-coming miracles and wonders.