Far more valuable to us than any other liquid, water is the most precious substance on this planet. Despite the fact that it is readily available, we should not take for granted the colorless, tasteless fluid that forms the very foundation of life as we know it. While we can survive for weeks without food, and months without socializing in person or having reliable internet access (okay, that last one was tricky with five kids trying to Zoom at the same time), we wouldn't last more than a few days without water.
On Sukkos, the
world is judged for water and this is considered a time of tremendous simcha (joy). The Gemara states that
whoever did not see the joy of the Simchas
Bais Hashoeva in the Beis Hamikdash, when water was drawn from the Shiloach
for a special korban on Sukkos, has
never experienced real joy. According to Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, in his sefer, The Book of our Heritage, these
phenomenal festivities served to celebrate our closeness with our Creator. This
is understandable considering the fact that water is symbolic of the Torah as
well as equated with life itself. What greater joy can one feel than when
reflecting upon our opportunity to live a life of Torah?
Over 70 percent of
the world is covered in water, but not all of the Earth’s water is visible. Vast
amounts of freshwater are safely stored underground in huge aquifers that can
be tapped by wells to provide drinking water. With the proper equipment, even
people in arid, desert regions, who only have access to contaminated water
sources or are suffering from drought, can access these underground reservoirs.
There is also a tremendous amount of water dissolved in our atmosphere in the
form of water vapor. Exactly how much water is hanging over our heads? To put
this in perspective, there is more water in the air than in all the world’s
rivers combined! (I know, it feels like most of it is here in
The story of the
great Rabbi Akiva’s humble beginnings as a shepherd is well-known. He was
inspired to set out on his path toward Torah after he witnessed the quiet power
of water. After seeing a hole that water had cut through a stone after falling
for years, one drop at a time, he was imbued with the inner resolve to begin to
penetrate the world of Torah. Rabbi Akiva built his greatness day by day, just
as the water had burrowed through the rock drop by drop. We can also take to
heart the message that the water whispered to Rabbi Akiva: Small daily efforts
quickly accumulate into huge accomplishments that we can be proud of.
From every
delicate drop of dew to each mighty glacier, water takes us back through time
itself. The water that exists today is the same water that Hashem originally placed
on our planet to sustain us. The water that we drink is the same water that
filled Miriam’s well in the desert. The water in the
On Shemini Atzeres
we begin saying the prayer for rain. In fact, rain is so essential that Rabbi
Yochanan attested to the fact that Hashem holds its key Himself and won’t let a
messenger deliver the rain in His place. Each drop of water that we use is nothing
less than a gift personally delivered by Hashem.
Water, at its very
core, is miraculous. Each water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms
bonded together with one oxygen atom. Hydrogen and oxygen on their own are
gases, yet when they are fused together, they form a liquid. Hydrogen is
extremely flammable when it comes in contact with oxygen physically, yet when
the two elements are chemically combined, they can put out fires.
Nature tends to
obediently follow predictable patterns. Gravity, for example, and the Earth’s
revolution around the sun are natural phenomena that we can count on with
certainty. Another example of the reliable consistency of nature is how
temperature impacts density. Density is how much of something there is in
relation to how big it is. The higher the density of the item, the more tightly
packed together are its molecules. Every liquid on Earth becomes more and more
dense as it gets colder – except water! As the temperature drops, water’s
density does begin to increase like any other liquid, but only to a point. Once
it reaches four degrees Celsius, water actually reverses its density, becoming
less dense. This is what enables it to float to the surface as ice.
Though ostensibly
insignificant, this is the key to life on our planet, and it is not at all “natural.”
Water is a miracle from the start. To fully understand what is at stake,
consider this: If water continued to grow more and more dense as it got colder,
it would quickly become more dense than water and sink. The bottom of the
oceans, lakes, and rivers would be buried under mountains of ice. At those
depths, the frigid temperatures would prevent the ice from ever melting and the
world’s marine ecosystems would be destroyed.
The fact that
frozen water floats, provides a double benefit: Not only does this feature
protect marine life from being crushed and buried, it acts as an insulator, as
well. The water under the ice is warmer than it would be if it were openly
exposed to the bitter cold air above it. The ice that forms over ponds, lakes,
and streams serves to protect the creatures underneath from the freezing,
biting cold of winter.
In the spring, ice
also offers a slow release of water for new, delicate plants. The new seedlings
would dry up in between rain showers or be drowned if they got too much water
at once, but the slowly melting snow and ice provide them with the water they
need in small, manageable amounts.
Following the
introspective days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it is comforting to keep in
mind that, just as water always returns to its source regardless of how many
times it has changed form or how far across the world it has traveled, we
always have the opportunity to return to Hashem. And that possibility of
connection is a true wellspring of simcha.
Debbie Glazer
lives in
