Commentary for Genesis 29:2

ישקו העדרים THEY GAVE THE DROVES DRINK —the shepherds used to water the flocks: this verse uses an elliptical phrase (omitting the subject “the shepherds”).

AND HE LOOKED, AND BEHOLD A WELL IN THE FIELD, AND LO THREE FLOCKS OF SHEEP LYING THERE BY IT. Scripture tells this story at length in order to let us know that they that wait for the Eternal shall renew their strength,⁵⁹Isaiah 40:31. and the fear of Him gives strength. For here our father Jacob is coming from the journey and he is tired, yet he alone rolls away the stone, a task which required all the shepherds. The many shepherds and all the watchmen of the three flocks of sheep could not shift the rock.
With respect to this chapter, our Rabbis in Bereshith Rabbah⁶⁰70:8. also have a secret which alludes to the future. For it happened to him that he came to Haran by way of the well, and only three of all the flocks were gathered. He arrived at the time when the stone was yet upon the mouth of the well, and the flocks waited for the water thereof. Likewise, the matter which is narrated here is all for the purpose of letting it be known that Jacob will succeed in this venture and will have children worthy of the fulfillment of this allusion. For the well alludes to the Sanctuary, and the three flocks of sheep are symbolic of the pilgrims ascending to the Sanctuary during the three festivals.⁶¹Pesach, Shevuoth, and Succoth. See Deuteronomy 16:16. The expression, For out of that well they watered the flocks, alludes to the fact that they drew holy inspiration from the pilgrimages to the Sanctuary. It may be that it alludes to the verse, For out of Zion shall go forth Torah⁶²Isaiah 2:3. Thus both prophecy and law emanated from the Sanctuary. — which has been likened to water,⁶³Ibid., 55:1, Baba Kamma 17a. and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem.⁶²Isaiah 2:3. Thus both prophecy and law emanated from the Sanctuary. — And thither were all the flocks gathered⁶⁴Verse 3 here. — from the entrance of Hamath unto the Brook of Egypt.⁶⁵I Kings 8:65. The verse refers to the gathering of pilgrims for the festival of Succoth. — And they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth and watered,⁶⁴Verse 3 here. for they drew holy inspiration therefrom. And they put the stone back⁶⁴Verse 3 here. to lie dormant until the next festival.

רבצים עליה, waiting until all the shepherds would gather there with their flocks and they would roll the rock off the top of the well.

והאגן גדולה על פי הבאר, And the stone on top of the well was a massive one. If the Torah had not written the letter ה in front of the word אבן, the impression created would have been that there simply was a heavy stone on top of the well. As it is the Torah emphasises the exceptional heaviness of that stone. This teaches us that unless Jacob had had divine assistance he could not have moved that stone. Bereshit Rabbah 70,12 understands the word ויגל as describing the ease with which Jacob rolled the stone off the well.

וירא והנה באר.. רבצים עליה, the word עליה means “near it,” just as in Numbers 2,20 when the positions of the various army groups of the Israelites are described and the Torah writes ועליו מטה מנשה. The meaning clearly cannot be that the tribe of Menashe was positioned on top of the tribe of the tribe of Ephrayim, but that the tribe of Menashe was positioned close to the tribe of Ephrayim. The term על in the sense of “near, close by,” occurs numerous times in Scripture.

וירא והנה באר בשדה, “he looked and saw a well in the field.” The plain meaning of this verse is a practical illustration of Isaiah 40,31 וקווי ה' יחליפו כח, “the people placing their hope and trust in the Lord will experience physical rejuvenation, etc.” Yaakov’s ability to roll the rock from the well, something several shepherds had been unable to do even jointly, proves that the new hope he had been given through his dream about the ladder had left its mark also on his body. Our sages also derived from the description in the text that the well mentioned is an allusion to the Temple, and that the three flocks of sheep described as lying around the well represent the three annual holydays on which the Jewish people would make pilgrimages to the Temple, seeing that the Temple serves the Jewish people as their spiritual inspiration, just as water serves as the liquid which keeps the body alive and healthy. Not only that, but the Torah itself has been compared to spring-water, seeing that it makes life meaningful, and the people who study it and observe it become people who see a purpose in their existence. The “various flocks“ which are described as lying around that well symbolize the people congregating around the Temple, or around Torah scholars, waiting to become inspired. The replacing of the stone on the well symbolizes the period after the pilgrimages when the Temple is in a relatively dormant condition.

וירא והנה באר בשדה, “he looked, and behold here there was a well on a field.” Every single one of our patriarchs had an encounter with a well and in each case the well was an allusion to future happenings. In Yitzchak’s case the well he encountered was called באר מים חיים. (26,19) Bereshit Rabbah 70,8 explains that to the Jewish people Torah is equivalent to spring water.

The shepherds give the flocks to drink... Meaning: They would give them to drink [regularly]. Similarly with ונאספו and וגללו [in the next verse]; the future tense is used in place of the present tense, to convey that they would regularly gather and roll the stone.

Sonst ist die Bedeckung eines zum öffentlichen, allgemeinen Gebrauch bestimmten Brunnens möglichst leicht abzuheben, damit er jedem leicht zugänglich sei. Hier aber — und damit werden wir in die Charakteristik dieser Aramäer eingeführt — traut einer dem andern nicht und gönnt einer dem andern nichts. Es könnte ja einer einmal mehr oder öfter aus dem Brunnen schöpfen und trinken als der andere! Darum war hier der Deckel so schwer, dass keiner allein, und nur alle zusammen zum Brunnen gelangen konnten.

וירא והנה באר בשדה, “when he looked, see there was a well in the field.” This whole paragraph, up to and including the line: “he rolled aside the rock,” (in verse 10) has been recorded only in order to teach us about the physical strength of Yaakov.

והאבן גדולה על פי הבאר, this was a precautionary measure to ensure people would not fall into the well and drown, or that they would not draw water from the well if not entitled to this.

והאבן גדולה, seeing that there was no other source of water nearby to water the flocks of the people of Charan, the local people had placed an extremely large and heavy rock on top of it so that only in the presence of all the shepherds would the flocks be watered so as to ensure a fair distribution of the available water. This would also help to avoid wasting water remaining in the troughs when no other flock had already lined up at the troughs. Placing such a large stone on the well then was a device designed to help everyone entitled to this water to receive his fair share in the presence of all the shepherds.

רובצים עליה, “were lying upon it;” in expectation of being watered.

פי הבאר והאבן גדולה על, “and the rock covering the opening of the well was large;” this was in order to prevent anything falling into the well which would contaminate its water or interfere with its free flow. It was also meant to prevent individual strangers to make use of its water.