בראשית, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ט

In the depths of the wilderness, salvation arrives not necessarily through a sudden change in the physical world, but through a shift in human perception. A desperate mother finds both physical and spiritual healing for her dying son through divine intervention that allows her to see what was previously hidden.

The primary approach among commentators is that the well of water was already there, but Hagar simply had not noticed it [ספורנו, שד״ל, מלבי״ם, ביאור יש״ר]. Her failure to see the water was not due to physical blindness, but rather a lack of attention. The very presence of bushes in the area was a natural clue that water was nearby, even if it was scarce and concealed [שד״ל, מלבי״ם]. Furthermore, the merit of Hagar and her son was not considered sufficient to warrant a grand miracle, such as creating a brand-new well out of nothing [ביאור יש״ר]. Therefore, God's act of opening her eyes was essentially a revelation of knowledge regarding something previously unknown [מלבי״ם], granting her the mental clarity to investigate and identify the existing water source [ספורנו, ביאור יש״ר].

However, other perspectives suggest different forms of divine assistance. Some propose that God temporarily enhanced her physical vision so she could spot a distant or covered well. Taking a different approach, one view argues that God did, in fact, split the earth at that exact moment to create a completely new spring [רד״ק]. Another unique interpretation suggests that this was no ordinary physical well, but rather an invisible, spiritual well carrying the presence of God, much like the well that later accompanied the Israelites in the desert. Because of its spiritual nature, a special divine opening of the eyes was required for Hagar to perceive it [אלשיך].

Once the water was found, the practical sequence of events likely differed slightly from a strict chronological reading. Hagar first drew water into the skin and immediately gave it to her son to drink, then she drank herself, and only afterward did she refill the skin to take a supply for the rest of their journey [רד״ק]. The immediate priority was to revive the boy, who had fainted from severe dehydration [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Even if he had experienced a miraculous recovery from the immediate danger of thirst, he still required regular hydration to survive [העמק דבר]. Beyond the physical necessity, because Hagar understood that this well was a direct gift from God, she knew that drinking from it would serve as an actual, miraculous medicine to raise her son from his illness [אלשיך].