Achsah Asks for Water and Othniel Who Is Jabez the Teacher

"And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him" (Judges 1:14). Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: She said to him, just as a donkey, when there is no straw in its trough, brays, so too a wife who has no produce within her house cries out. "You have given me a land of the Negev" (Judges 1:15) - a man dried out [menugav] of all good; "so give me springs of water" - a man who has nothing but words of Torah. "And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs" - the One to whom the secrets of the upper and lower worlds are revealed, let her seek her sustenance from Him. The fig, that is Othniel, that is Jabez. Othniel - because God answered him [ana'o El]; Jabez - because he counseled and instilled [ribbetz] the Torah in Israel. And what was his name? Judah. "The living one, Simeon, is his name." And how do we know that God answered him? As it is written, "And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying" (1 Chronicles 4:10): "If You will indeed bless me" - with Torah; "and enlarge my border" - with disciples; "and Your hand will be with me" - that I not forget my learning; "and You will keep me from harm" - that I have companions like myself; "that it may not grieve me" - that the evil inclination not afflict me from studying. If You do this for me, well and good; and if not, behold I go down in my decline to the grave. This is the teaching of Rabbi Natan. Rabbi Judah the Prince says: "If You will indeed bless me" - with fruitfulness and increase; "and enlarge my border" - with sons and daughters; "and Your hand will be with me" - in commerce; "and You will keep me from harm" - that I have no headache, no earache, no eye pain; "that it may not grieve me" - that the evil inclination not afflict me. If You do this, well and good; and if not, behold I go down in my decline to the grave.