Removing the Rocks

In every generation, G-d has blessed the Jewish people with great spiritual mentors, whose lives are dedicated to the well-being of their flock. Their primary method of nurturing the Jewish people is by serving as the fountainhead of Torah knowledge and inspiration.

Jacob at the Well in the Field

The Torah describes Jacob’s journey to his uncle Laban, in this week’s parsha, in the following manner:

“Jacob lifted up his feet and he went off towards the land of the people of the East. He looked, and behold there was a well in the field, and behold three flocks of sheep were lying beside it, for they would give water to the flocks from that well. There was a large rock on the mouth of the well… And when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, the brother of his mother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother, Jacob approached and he rolled the rock from the mouth of the well and he watered the sheep of Laban..”

The Ba’al Shem Tov’s grandson, Rabbi Efraim in his work Degel Machanae Efraim explains these verses in a rather novel way. This interpretation is based on a premise that the Torah’s stories are not just historical accounts of the forebears of the Jewish people. In addition to the simple meaning of the text, and the moral lessons that we can derive from them, these narratives also contain embedded messages about spirituality in general and our role in the Divine scheme in particular.

The “Well” Metaphor

The “well” or “spring” that constantly flows with fresh water is a metaphor from the way our Torah knowledge constantly gushes with new insights and energy. No matter how many times we may study a passage of the Torah, the Torah retains its freshness and originality. To appreciate this dimension of Torah that is likened to a well, one must study Torah Lishmah-for its own sake, for the purest of motives.

And while we may, and ought to, study Torah even for ulterior motives; nevertheless, for the Torah to be a dynamic and invigorating force in our lives, we must strive to learn Torah for more sublime motives. The Torah then becomes an endless source of spiritual nourishment and inspiration.

This is what our Sages had in mind when they stated (Ethics of the Fathers, Chapter 6):

“One who is engaged in the study of Torah for its own sake, merits many things… He becomes like a gushing fountain.”

When we study Torah for the purest of motives (“for its own sake”) we are capable of experiencing an endless proliferation of knowledge and spiritual enhancement.

In every generation, G-d has blessed the Jewish people with great spiritual mentors, whose lives are dedicated to the well-being of their flock. Their primary method of nurturing the Jewish people is by serving as the fountainhead of Torah knowledge and inspiration. And it is from this “well” of Torah that we read about in this week’s parsha that all future Jewish leaders provide spiritual nourishment to their flock— to the Jewish people who are Biblically likened to sheep.

Obstacles to the Well

However, there are times when a “large rock” can be lodged on the very mouth of the well. There are many obstacles that do not allow us to be receptive to the “living words of Torah” from our spiritual leaders.

Too often we are so consumed by the hardships and challenges of life itself, not to speak of the suffering and persecution our people endured for millennia, that it becomes difficult for us to open our minds and hearts to absorb the true spiritual dimension of Torah.

Two Approaches to Removing the Rock

The Torah thus provides two scenarios how that rock can be removed:

The first is to have all the flocks gathered together. When Jews get together in a brotherly fashion to hear words of Torah, their collective strength and their intense desire to receive, enables them to remove the impediments and drink from the fountains of Torah.

However, there are special occasions—hinted in the words: “And Jacob saw Rachel”—when the leader himself sees the dire needs of the people to be inspired that prompts him to remove the rock and allow the words of Torah to be revealed in an unobstructed way.

The Essence of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s Teachings

These concepts, adapted from the work of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s grandson, express the very essence of the Ba’al Shem Tov’s teachings and contribution to the Jewish world. The Chassidic movement was based on the belief that the secret to the coming of the Moshiach is to remove the “rocks” that prevent us from imbibing the full extent of the Torah’s refreshing waters. The spiritual and mystical teachings of Chassidut were provided for us in these times to withstand the pressures of exile and to prepare us for the Messianic Age, when all of the world will be filled with G-dly knowledge; when all the “rocks” will be eliminated..

The Ba’al Shem Tov, and subsequent Chassidic leaders combined both approaches, alluded to in this week’s parsha, to remove the rock.

First, they themselves used Herculean measures in teaching and disseminating the most profound, spiritual and mystical dimensions of the Torah. Second, they encouraged and cultivated “Chassidic gatherings” where hundreds and thousands and Jews would gather together, suffused with friendship and brotherly love. In this atmosphere, our hearts and minds were receptive to the most powerful teachings of Torah.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Vayeitzei by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.