“יקח נא מעט מים ורחצו רגליכם והשענו תחת העץ” – “Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree.” It says in Shemos Rabbah 25:5 that “יוקח נא” means that it should be brought through a Shliach, a messenger. Being that Avrohom Avinu did this through a Shliach, Hakodosh Boruch Hu paid back his descendants through a Shliach – that the water Klal Yisroel received in the Midbar was through Moshe Rabbeinu. However, “ואקחת פת לחם” – the bread that Avrohom Avinu gave his guests, he did himself, that Hakodosh Boruch Hu paid back through Himself – Hakodosh Boruch Hu provided directly for Klal Yisroel with Mon in the Midbar. Why indeed did Avrohom have the water brought through a Shliach and not do it himself? Avrohom was not being lazy or seeking to do less work himself, rather he was only seeking to do what was best for Klal Yisroel. Avrohom Avinu saw through Ruach Hakodesh that Klal Yisroel would need water when they left Mitzrayim, and they would need water to be given to them through a miracle. He also saw the Gezeira against those who sinned, that they would die in the Midbar, as the Posuk in Bamidbar 14:35 says, “במדבר הזה יתמו”. All those who died in the Midbar had no hopes of entering Eretz Yisroel, even Le’asid Lavo. There was only one possible way for them to ever be saved and be able to enter Eretz Yisroel, and that was if Moshe Rabbeinu would remain in the Midbar and not enter Yisroel. Then, Le’asid Lavo, when Moshe Rabbeinu will enter Eretz Yisroel, they would be able to go along with him. Had Avrohom Avinu given the guests the water himself, then Hashem would have given Klal Yisroel the water in the Midbar directly. Had that happened, then the incident with the מי מריבה would never have occurred, which caused Moshe to remain in the Midbar. Had this occurred, who would have saved the generation of the Midbar; who would have brought them to Eretz Yisroel Le’asid Lavo?! This is why Avrohom Avinu had the water brought through a Shliach, so that Hakodosh Boruch Hu would repay him through a Shliach – namely, Moshe Rabbeinu, and this would ultimately be what saves the generation of the Midbar.
Now we can understand why Avrohom Avinu had the water brought through a Shliach. Avrohom Avinu was not being lazy, but rather knew that in the future, there would come a time that it would save the generation of the Midbar by Moshe Rabbeinu being the Shliach to give them their water. Avrohom Avinu wanted what was best for Klal Yisroel, both what we see and what we don’t see – the פנימיות and the חיצוניות. Hakodosh Boruch Hu gives Avrohom Avinu a Brocha for his children, that they should be elevated – both their פנימיות and חיצוניות. The best time to bring forth the פנימיות which is within all of us, is Shabbos Kodesh. The פנימיות part of Shabbos Kodesh is the Oneg for the Nefesh, the delight for the soul, with the additional Nefesh, Ruach, and Neshama that one has on Shabbos Kodesh. Shabbos is a time when we are naturally closer to Hashem, and we must nurture that connection. May we be Zoche to focus on our פנימיות, the sparks of Kedusha which are within each and every one of us, and come close to Hashem.
