“And all the wells that the servants of his father had dug, during the days of Avraham, the Pelishtim had closed them up and filled them with dirt” [26:15]. Yitzchak wanted to use the wells his father’s servants had made, but the Pelishtim had gone and filled them in.
In the ancient world, a well was a valuable commodity. It took a lot of time and effort to shovel out a well by hand, and a well provided a reliable source of water when it wasn’t raining. So why would the Pelishtim fill up the wells that Abraham’s servants dug, rather than put them to use?
Rashi explains: “Because they said, these are an obstacle for us, because of the armies coming against us.” Note that Rashi does not say that this was the reason; he tells us that this is what they said.
The Sifsei Chachamim elaborates, and tells us that what the Pelishtim said was merely an excuse. The real reason was found in the previous verse: “And the Pelishtim were jealous of him.” They filled the wells out of spite, because they were jealous. But because they didn’t want to admit this, they claimed the wells were a hindrance.
Judaism is all about details, and demands honesty even on very fine points.
There is a story told of an esteemed rabbi who, when asked why he was visiting a large city, said that he came to see an umbrella. An umbrella? What a bizarre idea—why would a great rabbi, to whom his time was very precious, go all the way to a large city just to see an umbrella? And note that he didn’t say he was even going to buy one!
In reality, he was there for a medical procedure that could not be done in his village. But he had heard of a new, stylish type of umbrella sold in the city, and had been curious to see what one looked like. As silly as it was, when he was told he needed the procedure, he said to himself, “ah, now I can go see that umbrella!” And he admitted this petty motivation, rather than hiding it.
With our enemies, precisely the opposite is true. In the Book of Esther we learn that Haman was offended that Mordechai refused to bow to him. But because it was a petty waste of energy to take out his anger on Mordechai alone, Haman devised his plan to annihilate the entire Jewish People.
Today, people claim everything except the truth. They claim to care about Palestinian Arabs and their rights, but their real agenda is, as always, the same as Haman’s: death to the Jews.
So when we see barbarians and their deluded followers chanting on campus and in the streets, they serve as another reminder that we stand for the morality and decency that they aim to stamp out. Truth stands firm, but lies quickly topple. May G-d protect each of us, in accordance with His promise!
Photo credit: Recharge Well Under Construction by India Water Portal.
