Like a well, for instance. It's more than just a source of water; it’s often a meeting place, a place of destiny. Our sages point this out in Shemot Rabbah, noting how the well is a recurring motif when finding a partner in the stories of our patriarchs. We're told, "He settled in the land of Midyan, and sat alongside the well." The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) sees in this a continuation of a pattern established by the patriarchs. Isaac, Jacob, and Moses – all were connected to their wives at a well.
The Midrash reminds us, "Isaac came from going to Be’er laḥai ro’i" (Genesis 24:62). Be’er laḥai ro’i, "the well of the Living One who sees me," was where God appeared to Hagar. It was near this very spring that Isaac met Rebecca, who was returning with Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, and eventually became his wife (Genesis 24:63-67).
Then there's Jacob. "He saw, and behold, there was a well in the field" (Genesis 29:2). It was at that well that Jacob first laid eyes on Rachel (Genesis 29:10-11), the woman he would work fourteen years to marry.
And now, we have Moses. "And he sat alongside the well." The story unfolds: "The priest of Midian had seven daughters; they came and they drew water and filled the troughs to give their father’s flock to drink" (Exodus 2:16).
This brings up an interesting question. The Midrash asks, "But doesn’t the Holy One blessed be He hate idol worship, and yet He provided Moses haven with an idol worshipper?" This is where the story of Yitro, Moses' future father-in-law, takes a fascinating turn.
Our Rabbis teach that Yitro, initially a priest of idol worship, realized the emptiness of his practices. He renounced idolatry and, according to the Midrash, even offered his position to the townspeople. When they rejected him and ostracized him, his daughters were forced to tend the flocks themselves.
"They came and they drew." The Midrash explains that they arrived early because they feared the shepherds. "The shepherds came and drove them away; Moses rose and rescued them and gave their flocks to drink" (Genesis 2:17). But wait, if Yitro was the priest, why were his daughters being driven away?
The Shemot Rabbah explains that because Yitro had rejected idolatry, the townspeople treated his daughters as outcasts, much like a divorced woman. "He drove out the man" (Genesis 3:24) – just as humanity was banished from Eden, Yitro's daughters were being banished from the community.
"Moses rose and rescued them." The Midrash emphasizes that Moses wasn't just helping; he was enacting justice. He saw an injustice and acted. Rabbi Yoḥanan, in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, even suggests the shepherds' intentions were sexually inappropriate, aligning with the verse "The betrothed young woman screamed, and there was no one to rescue her" (Deuteronomy 22:27). Alternatively, some Rabbis say that the shepherds actually cast them into the water and Moses saved them. Vayoshian, the text notes, is an expression of saving from water.
Moses not only rescued them but also "gave their flocks to drink," mirroring Jacob's actions for Rachel. When the daughters returned home early, their father, Reuel (another name for Yitro, meaning "companion to God"), questioned them. "Why were you quick to come today?" (Exodus 2:18).
"They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds and also drew water for us and gave the flock to drink" (Exodus 2:19). But was Moses really an Egyptian? The Midrash offers a clever interpretation: either he was dressed as an Egyptian, or the daughters were speaking metaphorically. Just as someone bitten by a snake might inadvertently save another while seeking relief, Moses' past actions (killing the Egyptian) led him to this encounter.
"He said to his daughters: Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so that he will eat bread" (Exodus 2:20). Yitro recognized something special in Moses. According to the Midrash, he saw a connection to the patriarchs, those who found blessing at the well. He also hoped that Moses might marry one of his daughters, as "eating bread" can be a euphemism for marriage, like in (Genesis 39:6).
And so, Tzipora, meaning "bird," ran after Moses and brought him back. The Midrash adds that she was named Tzipora because she purified the house like a bird – a reference to the bird's role in purifying a house afflicted with leprosy (Leviticus 14:48-53).
What can we glean from this rich tapestry of a story? It seems the well is more than just a place to quench thirst. It is a place of encounter, a place of destiny, a place where righteous action can change the course of history. And sometimes, the most unexpected places, even those associated with the pain of exile and rejection, can become the very place where redemption begins.
“He settled in the land of Midyan, and sat alongside the well.” He learned the way of the patriarchs. Three were paired with their mates at the well; Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Regarding Isaac, it is written: “Isaac came from going to Be’er [laḥai ro’i]” (Genesis 24:62).66This is the well where God had once appeared to Hagar. This is the context in which Isaac met Rebecca, who was returning with Abraham’s servant, identified by the midrash as Eliezer. Isaac then married her; see Genesis 24:63-67. Moreover, Rebecca met Eliezer near the spring. Jacob, “he saw, and behold, there was a well in the field” (Genesis 29:2); 67It was there that Jacob first met Rachel; see Genesis 29:10-11. Moses, “and he sat alongside the well.” “The priest of Midian had seven daughters; they came and they drew water and filled the troughs to give their father’s flock to drink” (Exodus 2:16). “The priest of Midian had seven daughters.” But doesn’t the Holy One blessed be He hate idol worship, and yet He provided Moses haven with an idol worshipper? Rather, our Rabbis said: Yitro was a priest for idol worship and he saw that it lacked substance, and he scorned it, and he thought about repenting before Moses arrived. He called the residents of his city and said: ‘Until now, I have served you. Now I am old; choose another priest.’ He arose and removed the service vessels of idol worship and gave them all to them. They arose and ostracized him so that no one should have ties with him, no one should perform labor for him, and no one should herd his flocks. He asked the shepherds to herd his flocks for him, but they did not agree; therefore, he sent his daughters out. “They came and they drew.” It teaches that they would arrive early due to fear of the shepherds. “The shepherds came and drove them away; Moses rose and rescued them and gave their flocks to drink” (Genesis 2:17). “The shepherds came and drove them away.” Is it possible that he was the priest of Midyan and the shepherds were driving away his daughters? Rather, it teaches you that they ostracized him and drove away his daughters like a divorced woman, like you say: “He drove out the man” (Genesis 3:24).68In this verse, God permanently banished man from the Garden of Eden. So too, the shepherds sought to permanently banish Yitro’s daughters. “Moses rose and rescued them.” This teaches that he sat in judgment regarding them.69This is derived from the fact that the verse says that he rose, indicating that beforehand he was sitting. He said: Typically, men draw the water and women give the flocks to drink, while here, women draw and men give the flocks to drink. It does not say “he saved them [vayatzilan],” but rather, “he rescued them [vayoshian].” Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: They came to engage with them in a matter of forbidden sexual relations; here it is stated: “Moses rose and rescued them ,” and there it is stated: “The betrothed young woman screamed, and there was no one to rescue her” (Deuteronomy 22:27). Just as there, it is referring to forbidden sexual relations, here too it is referring to forbidden sexual relations. The Rabbis say: This teaches that they cast them into the water and Moses saved them. Vayoshian is nothing other than an expression of saving from water, as it is stated: “Rescue me God, as the water has reached my soul” (Psalms 69:2). “And gave their flocks to drink.” This teaches that Moses drew water for them and gave their flocks to drink, just as Jacob did for Rachel. “They came to their father Reuel. He said: Why were you quick to come today?” (Exodus 2:18). “They came to their father Reuel.” This is Yitro. Why is he named Reuel? It is because he became a companion to God. “He said: Why were you quick to come today?” From here you learn that on all days they would come last. “They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds and also drew water for us and gave the flock to drink” (Exodus 2:19). “They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds.” Was Moses an Egyptian? Rather, his garb was Egyptian, but he was a Hebrew. Alternatively, “an Egyptian man,” this is analogous to one who was bitten by a deadly snake and was running to put his legs in water. He placed them in the river and saw a certain child sinking in the water, and he extended his hand and saved him. The child said to him: ‘Were it not for you, I would have died.’ He said to him: ‘It is not I who saved you, but rather, the deadly snake that bit me and I fled from it; it saved you.’ Similarly, Yitro’s daughters said to Moses: ‘Well done that you saved us from the shepherds.’ Moses said to them: ‘That Egyptian whom I killed, he saved you.’ That is why they said to their father, “an Egyptian man saved us,” in other words: Who caused this one to come to us? It is the Egyptian man whom he killed. “Drew water [dalo dala],” he drew one drawing of water and gave water to all the flocks to drink, and the water was blessed for his sake. That is what is written: “and gave the flock to drink.” Our flock is not written, but rather “the flock,” as he gave even the flocks of the shepherds to drink. What then is “for us”? It means that he drew us out, too, as the shepherds cast us into the water and he took us out. “He said to his daughters: Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so that he will eat bread” (Exodus 2:20). “He said to his daughters: Where is he?” He said to them: ‘The fact that you say that he drew water and gave water to all the flocks is an indicator that he is one of the descendants of Jacob who stood at the well and the water was blessed for his sake.’ “Why did you leave the man? [Call him so that he will eat bread],” – perhaps he will marry one of you. The eating of bread mentioned here refers to nothing other than a wife, similar to: “Except for the bread that he eats” (Genesis 39:6).70Joseph stated this in reference to Potifar’s wife. Immediately, Tzipora ran after him like a bird [tzipor] and brought him. Why was she named Tzipora? It is because she purified the house like a bird.71The bird plays a central role in the purification process of a leprous house; see Leviticus 14:48-53
