wells of peace, wells of salvation  

I would like to dedicate my sermon to the theme of wells found in the Book of Genesis. The well symbolizes for us a reserve of living water, salvation from death in the desert, and no less important –  a place to gather and to converse. We thus encounter the first well in Parashat Lech L'cha, in which Hagar flees from Sarai for the first time. The angel of God is revealed to Hagar “by a fountain of water in the wilderness” (16,7).   The angel commands her to return to Sarai, her mistress. Hagar calls this well by the name – “lahai-roi - Him that seeth Me for life. To edify us, by means of geographical clarification, the Bible adds “behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.” .

The years pass, Abraham and Sarah grow old, and at last their son Isaac is born. Sarah demands that Abraham will send Hagar and Ishmael away. Hagar and Ishmael depart and subsequently stray in the wilderness of Be’er Sheba. Here, once again, God comes to their rescue: “And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. “ (21, 19)

As you well know, in the Torah, no Parasha is adjacent to another without intent. We are then told of a covenant made between Abimelech, King of the Philistines, and Abraham. Abraham asks, Why have your herdsmen taken away my well? Abimelech replies that he knows nothing of this. The two of them then make a covenant. Abraham offers seven ewe-lambs in witness of the fact that he himself dug the well in the wilderness of Be’er Sheba . This was the very same well which had before saved the lives of Hagar and Ishmael.   “Wherefore that place was called Beer-sheba; because there they swore both of them” (21, 31)

In the next act: the old Abraham sends his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac. Of course, this woman just happens to be right next to the well, ready and willing to offer a drink to Eliezer and his camels. She came to the Land of Canaan to meet her future husband, and meets him in the Land of the Negev, towards nightfall in the fields near Beer-lahai-roi. We are told that Abraham died “in a good old age, an old man, and full of years” at the age of a hundred threescore and fifteen years.   Isaac and Ishmael, Abraham’s sons – the one cast away in the desert and the one bound for sacrifice on Mount Moriah, gather to bury their father. The Bible deems it necessary to remind us once again of the theme of the well – “And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son; and Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi” (25, 11)   Isaac will stay for most of his life in the same place, close to the miraculous well which saved his brother’s life. 

We now reach Parashat Tol’dot.

Much has been said about the fact that Isaac is the only one of the Patriarchs who never left Eretz Yisrael. Although it was his intention to leave, God was revealed to him and commanded him not to go down to Egypt and live there. “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee”(26, 3).   Isaac lived in the land of the Philistines, as did his father before him. He had many flocks and herds, like his father. He journeyed throughout the Land, digging again the same wells which Abraham had dug before him: “And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them” (26, 18). The land could only sustain a limited number of flocks. Food for grazing was sparse. The local tribes filled up each other’s wells. 

In Hebrew, a word expresses its essence. The Philistine herdsmen bicker with Isaac’s herdsmen about the wells.Therefore one well is called “Esek” (from the word “oshek” - to exploit) and the other well is called “Sitna” (Hatred). Our Patriarch Isaac goes out in search of other territory. 
He digs a new well in a new place, finding water and calling the well “Rehoboth”(derived from the word “width” “For now the LORD hath made room
for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”   (26, 22). From there he goes up to Be'er Sheba . Once again, God is revealed to him and tells him
not to fear, that he has been blessed.   Isaac builds an altar to God and pitches his tent. Of course, his servants begin to dig a well (26, 25). 
Abimelech King of the Philistines comes to him and asks him to make a covenant of peace. They swear to each, sacred peace allegiance.

At this point Isaac’s servants enter, proclaiming: “We have found water”. The new well is then named: “Shibah”, after Be’er Sheba. 
This is a reminder of the oath of peace made by Abraham and renewed by Isaac. 

As it was then, it still is today – a source of water is a gathering place, but also a cause for dispute. Let us derive hope and consolation from our Patriarchial figures. They succeeded in making a covenant of peace with the other inhabitants of the land, and wisely dividing among themselves their sources of livelihood.

What inspired me to interpret this week’s Parasha in this light was a seminar held recently by the Bereaved Parents’ Forum. This is a group of bereaved Jewish and Arab families whose common denominator is that they have lost children in the conflict. If there is an organization on earth worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize – this is it. I am sharing my impressions with you because one of the parents, an Arab, declared, and I quote: “The well of hatred is full to the brim. Now, we must dig a new well of mercy”. I was very moved by his words, and could not help but think of Hagar’s well of life, of the oath of peace made by Abraham next to the well and of Isaac’s many wells.