The well of Shabbos watering the weekdays

בפסוק והנה באר בשדה.

On the verse, "And behold, a well in the field." (Bereishis 29:2)

The Sefas Emes opens with Yaakov's vision of a well in a field, which he will read as a symbol of Shabbos and the hidden wellspring of holiness.

אמו"ז ז"ל הגיד מאמר האר"י ז"ל על לכה דודי נצא השדה.

My grandfather, of blessed memory, related the teaching of the Arizal, of blessed memory, on "Come, my beloved, let us go out to the field." (Shir HaShirim 7:12)

The author cites his grandfather, the Chiddushei HaRim, quoting the Arizal's interpretation of the verse "let us go out to the field," which the Friday-night liturgy applies to welcoming Shabbos.

כי בימי המעשה נקרא מדבר שאינו ראוי לזריעה וכשבא הארת שבת נקרא' שדה הראוי לזריעה כו' ונפתח הבאר בשבת וזהו באר בשדה.

That during the weekdays it is called a "wilderness," not fit for sowing, and when the illumination of Shabbos comes it is called a "field" fit for sowing… and the well is opened on Shabbos — and this is "a well in the field."

The weekdays are like a barren desert unsuited for planting, but the light of Shabbos transforms them into a fertile field; on Shabbos the hidden wellspring of holiness opens up, which is the "well in the field."

ג' צאן רובצים הוא ג' ימים דקמי שבתא ודבתר שבתא ונק' עדרי שנעדר התגלות הקדושה.

"Three flocks lying down" — these are the three days before Shabbos and after Shabbos, and they are called "adarim" (flocks), because the revelation of holiness is absent (ne'edar) [in them].

The three flocks represent the three weekdays leading up to Shabbos and the three following it; the word "eder" (flock) hints at "ne'edar" (lacking), since open revelation of holiness is missing on the ordinary weekdays.

[גם שהיא בצמצום ובמדה נק' עדר]

[Also, because it is in tzimtzum (contraction) and in measure, it is called "eder."]

Even where some holiness is present on weekdays, it is constricted and measured rather than freely flowing, which is another sense of "eder."

עכ"ז צריך להיות רובצים וסמוכים על השבת כפי שמבטלין כל הימים אל השבת כך משם ישקו העדרים.

Even so, they must be "lying down" and leaning upon the Shabbos; to the degree that one subordinates (mevatlin) all the days to the Shabbos, so from there the flocks are watered.

The weekdays draw their vitality by resting upon and being nullified to Shabbos; the more one orients all the days toward Shabbos through bittul, the more they are nourished from its wellspring.

וז"ש כי מן באר ההוא לשון נסתר שבאמת כל העדרים שואפים מן הבאר רק בחול אינו נגלה והאבן גדולה כו'.

And this is the meaning of "for from that well" — a hidden expression — for in truth all the flocks draw from the well, only that on the weekday it is not revealed, and "the stone is large."

The verse's roundabout phrasing "from that well" hints that all the weekdays in truth drink from the Shabbos wellspring, but during the week this remains concealed, blocked by a "large stone" covering the well's mouth.

וכשבא ש"ק ונאספו שמה כמ"ש דאתחחדת ברזא דאחד ואז מתעברין מינה כו' וגללו האבן והשקו.

And when Shabbos Kodesh comes and they are gathered there, as it is written that it is unified "in the secret of the One" (b'raza d'echad), and then they are filled (mis'abrin) from it… "and they rolled the stone and watered."

When Shabbos arrives, all the days gather and unite in the mystery of oneness; the concealing stone is rolled away and the wellspring openly waters all — the days are filled with holiness from the source.

ויעקב אבינו כתיב בי' ויגש ויגל כו'.

And of Yaakov Avinu it is written, "And he drew near and rolled [the stone]…" (Bereishis 29:10)

Yaakov himself approached and single-handedly rolled away the stone from the well's mouth.

שהצדיק בימי החול נקרא ג"כ שבת ומתגלה אליו הארת הש"ק תמיד:

That the tzaddik, even on the weekdays, is himself also called "Shabbos," and the illumination of Shabbos Kodesh is revealed to him always.

Yaakov, the tzaddik, could roll away the stone even on a weekday because a tzaddik embodies Shabbos at all times; the wellspring of Shabbos holiness is perpetually open and revealed to him.

Summary: Reading "a well in the field" through the Arizal, the Sefas Emes explains that the weekdays are a barren wilderness, but the illumination of Shabbos transforms them into a fertile field and opens the hidden well of holiness. The three flocks are the weekdays before and after Shabbos, in which revelation is concealed behind a "large stone"; yet all the days secretly draw from the Shabbos well, and the more they are nullified to Shabbos, the more they are watered. When Shabbos arrives the stone is rolled away and all unite in the secret of Oneness — and the tzaddik, like Yaakov who rolled the stone himself, is called "Shabbos" even on weekdays, with its light perpetually revealed to him.