By Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Abramovitz

What lesson can we “draw” from Rivkah’s well?

When Eliezer first encountered Rivkah, something remarkable happened. As she approached the well, the water miraculously rose to meet her. Rashi (Bereishis 24:16-17) explains that this miracle immediately signaled to Eliezer that Rivkah was no ordinary young woman. Yet only moments later, after Rivkah offered to provide water for Eliezer and his camels, the Torah describes her repeatedly drawing water from the well herself (24:20). The miracle had disappeared. What changed?

Rav Zalman Sorotzkin zt”l (Oznayim LaTorah) explains that the two trips to the well served very different purposes. The first was for Rivkah’s own needs. There, Hashem spared her unnecessary effort. The second was an act of chessed. This time, Hashem did not make the task easier, because every bucket she drew was another moment of mitzvah. Why deprive her of that?

This perspective is profoundly counterintuitive.

When a mitzvah becomes inconvenient, we often assume something has gone wrong. If getting to minyan is difficult, if helping someone requires sacrificing time or energy, if honoring our parents or caring for our children demands patience, we instinctively wish Hashem would remove the obstacles.

Rivkah teaches us that sometimes the “obstacle” is part of the opportunity.

Chazal teach, l’fum tza’ara agra (Avos 5:23) – reward is commensurate with the effort. We often understand this to mean that despite the difficulty, the mitzvah is still worthwhile. Rivkah teaches something even deeper. The effort is not merely the price of the mitzvah; it is part of the mitzvah itself.

Hashem was happy to spare Rivkah the effort of drawing water when it served no greater purpose. But when every step, every bucket, and every ounce of exertion became an act of chessed, He left the effort exactly where it belonged. The next time doing the right thing feels difficult, perhaps we should stop asking, “Why didn’t Hashem make this easier?” and start asking, “Could this effort be precisely what Hashem wants from me?”