Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/268

Rh The Book of Genesis

250

nor responsible for his welfare and he was a different man, and so he hailed the shepherds, "My brethren, whence are ye?" And when the flocks had gathered, his cousin Rachel's among them, his

brother's

keeper,

Now

happiness.

Jacob showed himself eager to help in the only way be could. Unaided, he rolled the great stone from the mouth of the flocks. It was a showed the change in Jacob. The rabbis told that when God saw this evidence of the change in Jacob, He was so pleased, that a miracle happened. For previously the well had been very deep, and its water had to be drawn up laboriously in buckets. Now, of its own

well, that the little

shepherds might water their

thing, but

it

accord, the water rose to the surface, so that the flocks could

drink

thereof

There

themselves.

it

remained during the Haran. And the

entire twenty years of Jacob's sojourn in

knew

that this had happened only because of Jacob, had brought blessing unto them, and therefore they loved him and were eager to keep him always with them. They felt him to be their brother, even as he had addressed them at first. One of the wise, old rabbis used to say, "One good deed causes another". So it was now with Jacob. But to him this wonder meant even more than to the people of Plaran he knew that (^lod had done this, and that it was a sign that God would fulfil His promise, and would be

people

that he



with him, even here

The words

in this

distant country.

rabbis taught also that not only were Jacob's

to the

first

shepherds indicative of the change which had

come over him, but high day, neither

is

also

it

his

second words, "Lo,

it

yet

is

time that the cattle should be gathered

He

together; water ye the sheep, and go and feed them".

had merely expressed his surprise at their procedure: yet it was also a partial rebuke of their laziness and indifl'erence to their masters' interests.

It

indicated, too. that in his

labors for his uncle Laban. his conduct

proach.

He would

own

would be above

not shirk a single task, no matter

re-

how \n