Parshat Shemot
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

When Moshe arrived in Midian after fleeing from Mitzrayim, he sat at the local well. Based on Medrash Rabbah (Shemos 1:32), Rashi explains that Moshe sat at the well in emulation of Yaakov Avinu, who also went to a well in search of a spouse.

Why did Moshe do this? He left Mitzrayim for fear of his life, not to get married. Even if he sought a wife upon arrival in Midian, why did the Torah specify it, and why did the Medrash comment that Moshe learned from Yaakov how to find a mate?

If we go back to Moshe's experience in Mitzrayim prior to his escape to Midian, we see a pattern emerging. The Medrash comments how Moshe carefully observed the pain of his brethren, studied their slave-tasks, and felt extreme personal anguish. Moshe became most sensitized to the state of the Jews, and the Medrash details his efforts to ease their burden. After smiting the Egyptian who was beating the Jew, Moshe "went out on the following day" (2:13), which the Targum Yonasan ben Uziel interprets as Moshe further investigating the Jews' situation, after taking note of the plight of the Jewish slaves and acting upon it the day before. Moshe had made alleviating the Jews' suffering a personal project.

Thereafter, Pharaoh attempted to kill Moshe, but he was miraculously saved. (Rashi on 2:15 from Talmud Yerushalmi)

Moshe likely surmised that God had a special plan for him. Moshe had embarked on a project to ease the burden of his brethren, and Hashem saved him from harm incurred by carrying forth his mission. There must be some connection, thought Moshe.

This is why Moshe went to the well in Midian, taking the lead of Yaakov. Just as Yaakov fled danger at home while trying to do God's will, so did Moshe. Although Moshe did not seek to take the spot-light, nor did he think that he was worthy of such a position, he sensed that he had a special mission, and he thus emulated Yaakov, for whom God also had a plan to tend His flock, for Moshe intuited that the similarities of his circumstances to those of Yaakov were part of Hashem's larger plan for helping His nation. Moshe's sense that he was part of a broader scheme led him to follow the path of Yaakov, who was in like circumstances of Hashgacha Pratis (Divine Providence).

We always need to keep in mind that God has a mission for each one of us that no one else can perform. Moshe was keen enough to sense this, and we must learn from him, obtaining a broader view of things and trying to see how we fit in to God's plan.

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