This week’s Parsha tells us how Yitzchak digs wells... finds water... loses them... digs again... repeats the cycle. It seems to be a strange small section in the Torah. Why the extended focus? What are we supposed to learn from this?
The Chofetz Chaim says explains that this episode is more than history. Yitzchak’s wells teach a timeless principle of personal growth.
The Torah describes how “Yitzchak’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh, living water” (Bereishis 26:19) Yet the Chofetz Chaim notes that before this success, Yitzchak dug and found nothing. He dug yet again and still nothing. Finally, when he dug again, is he successful and calls the well rechovos, referring to a place of spaciousness, peace, and blessing.
Why does the Torah narrate every stage? To teach us how people grow.
We begin projects with hope, passion, and excitement. And then reality hits. Obstacles appear. Delays, difficulties, disappointments. The easiest thing in the world is to throw up our hands and say, “It’s not meant to be.” But Yitzchak does not stop. He digs and meets resistance, yet he digs again. But still, he encounters setbacks. And yet, he digs again. Only finally is he successful.
Success, says the Chofetz Chaim, whether spiritual or material, rarely comes easily. The ones who accomplish are the ones who persist.
This is true in ruchniyus. Learning is difficult. Truly understanding Torah requires patience, time, review and effort. Many people become discouraged, thinking, “I’ll never understand it.” “I don’t know the language.” “It’s too hard.”
But the Torah says encourages us to keep digging. Keep learning. Keep pushing. Keep trying. The only reason most people fail is that they stop too early.
Most meaningful achievements—careers, relationships, family life, community projects, personal goals—come with resistance. In our day and age, one of the greatest challenges we face is a culture that gives up too quickly. If success isn’t instant, people walk away. If the first attempt fails, the dream dies.
Yitzchak Avinu teaches the opposite: If at first you don’t succeed, dig again. Show Hashem, show the world, and show yourself how much you want it. Perseverance carves pathways that talent alone never can. Because if we undertake our efforts with determination, persistence, and faith, Hashem will bring blessing.
