Digging wells is a theme from this week’s Torah portion, Toldot.
Isaac re-digs the filled wells of his father, Abraham. Isaac also digs brand-new wells. He names each one. The shepherds quarrel over his wells.
I get it. They lived in an arid land, and water was at a premium. Especially with all of that wealth—flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle and more.
Still, I don’t know much about the life of Isaac; proportionally, I only know too much about his pursuit of digging wells.
Aside from the necessity of water, there has to be more. What does well-digging look like in modern times?
Today, when you look at an expanse of land, you don’t necessarily think about the water beneath it. You don’t think about it because the eye is taken with everything noticeable and distracting, and that’s where the mind stays focused.
We visit the surface of rivers, lakes and oceans to find the pleasure of the water.
The water we drink comes to us through a vast piping system that pours into our faucets. Yet the purest, coolest and most refreshing freshwater comes from deep underground. We know about this but don’t really think about it.
Although, if we should ever need that flowing water, we know it is there.
That’s how life works. We stand on terra firma; the expanse of earth that lies before us. We are literally on the surface, prone to engage with the world superficially.
We work, we entertain ourselves, hang out, chat and vacation. And all of this works ... until it doesn’t. Until something happens that causes us to wonder: Is there more?
Oh, there is more. This is the message of Isaac; he is telling us to dig. When it’s not working, dig a well.
Dig deep inside of yourself. There is fresh, restorative water deep within our beings.
When we dig deeply, we find new strength, new purpose, a new reality.
Well-digging tells us that the surface is not the only reality. There is more than meets the eye. There is more of you, and more of your fellow beings.
There is water below, and water is essential, part of the essential qualities you need to get through your life.
Isaac did not do all of the digging alone; perhaps you need help finding your well, too. The Torah and its mitzvot are also compared to living restorative waters.
Sometimes, digging deep means finding your own personal depth, and finding a new depth in your path as a Jew.
