Dig New Wells
To confront the explosion of anti-Jewish hate, we also must nourish our souls and deepen our connections with other Jews and with God
If you read the slogans and conspiratorial wisdom exchanged on social media, you will see that the Jewish people are blamed for all the ills of society. We are accused of stealing the land of Israel from its rightful owners. According to multiple news agencies, Israel/Jews are committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and bombing hospitals. The more outlandish the claim, the more it is being repeated.
Every possible screed is being levied against us by major organizations such as the UN and significant figures such as Elon Musk. Every likely accusation is being directed towards the Jewish minority—a small, tiny nation. There are six or seven cities in China with a population larger than all the Jews in the world. But it is the Jews who are responsible.
The effortlessness with which anti-Israel sentiment morphed into full-scale Jew hatred took many by surprise. Many were under the false assumption that one could be anti-Israel and not be antisemitic. But those marching across cities and campuses in the US and other parts of the world chanting slogans that call for an end to Israel, home to some seven million Jews, don’t distinguish between Jews and Israelis. A Jew who believes that we have a right to live in our own country is branded an occupier and murderer.
One of the most surprising antisemitic acts that we are witnessing across the world is the desecration of signs publicizing the 240 hostages being held in Gaza. Why would anyone want to tear down the pictures of these innocent men, women, and children?
However, please, I want us to focus on something else.
I want us to meditate on and focus on now and remember the March for Israel Rally in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, November 14. You can see the recording online if you didn’t see it. The event was a Kiddush Hashem, which means sanctifying God’s name and refers to a righteous occasion or act that honors the Jewish people, Israel, and God. The gathering was a moral testament to the Jewish people.
The speakers did not call for death and destruction for Israel’s enemies. They did not call for revenge against Muslims in America and other countries for the heinous crimes committed by Hamas in the name of Islam. They prayed. They sang. They told their painful stories, being the family and friends of hostages and those killed on October 7. They told their stories of being harassed on college campuses. Politicians and other leaders denounced antisemitism. They called for standing with the Jewish community and Israel in this unprecedented and challenging time. They called for an end to violence against Jews and for the international community to cease its endless unfounded criticism of Israel. They thanked America for being a haven for Jews from around the world and for standing with Israel as its staunchest ally. They showed hakaras ha’tov gratitude for all America has done for the Jewish people. They displayed their pride in being Americans.
Israeli President Herzog’s speech will be remembered for all time. As described in the Times of Israel: ”
“Today we come together, as a family, one big mishpacha, to march for Israel. To march for the babies, the boys and girls, women and men viciously held hostage by Hamas,” Herzog said.
“To march for the right of every Jew to live proudly and safely in America, in Israel, and around the world. Above all, we come together to march for good over evil, for human morality over blood thirst. We march for light over darkness,” he said.
“Eighty years ago, Jews came out of Auschwitz and vowed ‘Never Again.’ As the blue and white flag was hoisted over our ancient homeland, we vowed ‘Never Again.’ Forty days ago, a terrorist army invaded the sovereign State of Israel and butchered hundreds upon hundreds of Israelis in the largest massacre since the Holocaust. Let us cry out, together: Never Again. Never Again is now,” he said.
Herzog also praised US President Joe Biden for the “moral clarity and bold actions of our American allies.”
“Once again in Jewish history, we demand: Let our people go. Whilst our loved ones are held captive in Gaza, and our soldiers are fighting for our beloved Israel – Jews all over the world are assaulted for being Jewish. The hatred, the lies, the brutality, the disgraceful outburst of ancient antisemitism are an embarrassment to all civilized people and nations.”
Peace reigned over the crowd of almost 300,000. There were no fights, no violence, no shameful incidents. Jews respected one another, even those coming from very different backgrounds. The participants appreciated law enforcement officers who protected their rights to peacefully assemble and demonstrate from those who may seek to harm participants or disrupt the event.
There was more peace on the National Mall that day than at most synagogues when the announcements are over and people rush for the kiddush.
Some of the speeches tore our hearts open, such as the words of Rachel Goldberg, whose son Hersh Goldberg-Polin was seriously injured and then taken hostage by Hamas at the Supernova rave. “We have lived the last 39 days in slow-motion torment. We all have third-degree burns on our souls. But the real souls suffering are those of the hostages, and they want to ask everyone in the world, why? Why is the world accepting that 240 human beings from almost 30 countries have been stolen and buried alive...”
The incredible mobilization of Jews from around the country and from Israel for the rally happened quickly. After weeks of watching sometimes violent demonstrations in Washington DC and around the country calling for expulsion, revenge, and destruction of Israel, the Jewish community responded en masse — but did not stoop to their level. As one poster read, “When they go low, we go Chai.” The Jewish people called for and celebrated life.
If you have yet to listen to or watch the rally, I encourage you to take time to watch. The Jewish people were a Kiddush Hashem, in the capital of the most powerful country on earth. What happened in Washington DC should make each one of us more proud to be a Jew. And God is so proud of us.
Our sages have taught us that we can see a reflection of the Parsha in the day's current events. It’s called “living with the Parsha.” So, what part of the rally is connected to Parsha Toldot? This week’s Torah portion is mainly remembered as the Parsha when Isaac, frail and blind, blesses Jacob, disguised as his brother Eisav. The incredible rally in Washington was connected to Isaac’s decision to dig a new well.
In the Torah on Parshat Toldot, we read that the Philistines, or Pelishtim in Hebrew, filled in Abraham’s wells after Abraham died. But afterward, his son Isaac returned to dig them again.
“Isaac dug anew the wells which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham’s death, and he gave them the same names that his father had given them.” (Gen. 26:18)
The wells that Isaac and his men dug were both actual water-producing wells, and according to Midrash and Kabbalah, these wells also held significant symbolic meaning. These wells were connected to the transmission of knowledge of God and spirituality. This revelation of Jewish concepts of Divinity and the Oneness of God caused a huge uproar. The Philistines began to argue and fight with Isaac’s shepherds. It was a dangerous time for the budding Jewish people who were trying to find a place to live in peace.
So what did Isaac do when faced with the fight over wells that his father Abraham had dug, but now were sources of conflict?
“He moved from there and dug yet another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he called it Rechovot, saying, “Now at last Hashem has granted us ample space to increase in the land.”
Malbim, an influential 19th commentary on the Torah, explains, “...And it is honorable for a person to dwell without strife. He distanced himself far from them, and there the quarrel ceased.”
Since October 7th, the Jewish people have been in a constant state of conflict. From the horrors and war, the missiles and bombs in Israel, to harassment, assaults, and deadly attacks on Jews in the US and Europe.
This is a time when we need to dig new wells, find new sources of inspiration, and find opportunities to help others — especially those who have been victimized and are being held hostage.
Digging a new well means removing ourselves from strife and spending time each in our way, increasing our Jewishness, our knowledge, and our Torah.
Digging a new well means creating safe Jewish opportunities, like a Shabbat table, a place to gather with friends and family, despite our differences, focus on our commonalities. This is a new well.
Digging a new well does not mean leaving our indigenous homeland, giving in to aggressors, or doubting the authenticity of the Jewish claim to Eretz Israel. It is a recognition that the source of all blessings is limitless, and we, like Isaac and Rebecca, can bring more abundance, joy, and peace to the surface.
When we recognize this and do the “hard work” of digging new wells that will bless our people and land, our prayers will be like our ancestor’s hope that we will be able to watch our people flourish in safety and peace.
After Isaac dug the new well, God appeared to him in a dream. “That night, Hashem appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham’s [house]. Fear not, for I am with you, and I will bless you and increase your offspring for the sake of My servant Abraham.”
The Ramban explains, “Since Avimelech drove him away because of the Pelishtims’ jealousy of him, and since the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with him, Isaac feared lest they gather against him and smite him and his family. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, assured him that he should not fear them, and He blessed him.”
What happened to our ancestors Isaac and Rebecca is a sign of what will happen to the Jewish people in the future. The trials and tribulations they faced, we face, too, in contemporary terms. Just as God told Isaac not to be afraid, we, too, must not be frightened.
May God please protect the hostages, Israel’s soldiers, and citizens. May we see a peaceful turnaround like in the days of Isaac, when those who quarreled and rose against him came to him to make peace. And may we see, even now, that Hashem is with us.
Shabbat Shalom