Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
When we have a goal and a purpose, when there is someone who inspires us – difficult challenges can be overcome. In the Torah portion we read on Shabbat, we learn about a massive rock that was placed over the mouth of a huge well. But what happens the moment Yaakov sees Rachel? "And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel . . . and he drew near and rolled the rock off the mouth of the well." Suddenly the massive rock becomes light. The intensely inspiring meeting with Rachel all but nullifies the weight of the rock.
Afterwards, Yaakov works seven years in order to win the right to marry Rachel, and this period is described in the following beautiful verse: "So Jacob worked for Rachel seven years, but they appeared to him like a few days because of his love for her." Once again we learn that inspired longings of the soul minimize physical reality: seven years become a few days. If previously, gravitational force was all but eliminated, now the concept of time loses its significance.
The connection between Jacob and Rachel reminds us of the power of love – the ultimate connection between two people – and how one person can give the other wings to soar above the mundane world around us.