Hiking in the Holy Land: Where the women drew water

The Judean Hills in late spring present a familiar yet stark landscape, where golden fields and dusty paths replace winter's green. Thorns are plentiful, making it wise to stick to the trail, even as it crumbles into dust.

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This water source is still fully functional, hundreds, maybe thousands of years after someone dug it.

Amidst this arid beauty, the ubiquitous presence of ancient water cisterns and wells is a defining feature of the Israeli terrain. Unlike the author's experience in the United States, these water sources are a constant reminder of the land's history and the ingenuity required to sustain life here. Often hidden or integrated into the landscape, they are easily missed by the casual observer.

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HERE IN Israel, wells and cisterns are everywhere – set into hillsides, hidden under fig trees, tucked behind stone walls in ancient agricultural terraces. Sometimes you can see them. More often you walk right past.

These wells and cisterns are not merely functional relics; they are deeply woven into the fabric of biblical history and narrative. From Abraham's wells in Beersheba to Isaac's efforts to reclaim them, water sources feature prominently in the Torah. They also serve as settings for some of the most enduring love stories, such as the encounters between Rebecca and Eliezer, and Rachel and Jacob at their respective wells. The timing of these meetings, often in the "evening time, the time when women come out to draw water," underscores the well's predictable role as a social and communal hub.

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When Eliezer arrived, he made his camels kneel “at evening time, the time when women come out to draw water” (Genesis 24:11).