Why is it that the well serves as a choice site for meeting future wives in three biblical stories (Yitzchak, Yaakov and Moshe)? What is the role of the well in the greater narrative of Yaakov's life? This article examines the stories surrounding the well and suggests that the well serves as a focus of intensive human activity because it is the source of life for the people of the city and for their livestock. Hence it is at the well that we are able to recognize people's social attributes.
In each one of these three stories, the well highlights the principal trait of one partner in the eyes of the other (or his agent): Rivka's trait of perfect kindness in the eyes of Avraham's servant, Yaakov's love and strength in the eyes of Rachel, and Moshe's trait of justice and moral sensitivity together with a readiness to act as perceived by the daughters of Re'uel and their father.
The article also explores the symbolism of the well as the love between Yaakov and Rachel, and as a foreshadowing of their life journey together.
