The Well of Miriam – The Secret of Wisdom and Healing

The Secrets of the Well of Miriam – How Maharchu [Rabbi Chaim Vital] merited to attain the secrets of Kabbalah from the Holy Ari, the special spiritual remedy (segulah) of the well's water for Torah memory and healing, and the virtue of the wilderness generation who drank from the Well of Miriam for forty years.

12 Sivan 5786 | May 28 2026 | 21:18

The Nation of Israel merited to drink from the Well of Miriam for forty years, because in these waters there was a special remedy (segulah) that whoever drank from them, the fountains of wisdom were opened unto him, and the Torah of Moshe remained in his heart without being forgotten.

Today, it is not known to us where the Well of Miriam is located. But our Master the Ari, of blessed memory, knew where it was, and it was revealed to him from Heaven, because he was sent to this world for the sake of his student Rabbi Chaim Vital (Maharchu), in order to transmit to him the wisdom of Kabbalah. Likewise, it became known to him that he had one or two years left to live, and in this time, he had to transmit his wisdom to Rabbi Chaim.

And behold, at that time the Ari arrived from Egypt to Safed (and was then approximately thirty-six years old), and Rabbi Chaim also arrived from Damascus to Tzfat (Safed), and was ordained to render halachic rulings by Maran the Beit Yosef, since he was a great scholar proficient in the Shas (Talmud), and anyone who knew all the tractates of the Shas with the commentary of the Ran by heart—they would ordain him.

At that time, Maharchu was studying the wisdom of Kabbalah with a group of Torah scholars, and since he did not know as well the power of the Ari's wisdom in Kabbalah, he therefore saw no need to go to him to study under him.

Once, he studied a passage in the Zohar and Kabbalah with his students, and they encountered a certain difficulty whose resolution they did not know. Maharchu sat in a fast, and asked that they assist him from Heaven to understand the topic. They told him in a dream from Heaven that Rabbi Yitzchak Luria Ashkenazi—he would explain the matter to him.

Maharchu went to the Ari, and before his entry, the Ari said to him: You arrived here so that I would explain a certain matter to you; behold, such and such is its explanation. And after he was satisfied with his commentary, the Ari said to him: There is a clearer explanation than this. Maharchu requested of the Ari, of blessed memory, to tell him the additional explanation, and so he did. The Ari explained it to him in another manner, and told him that on this matter there are six explanations corresponding to the days of the workweek, and immediately told them to him, and Maharchu stood astounded at the depth of the Ari's knowledge.

But then the Ari added and said to him that he possessed another, most wondrous explanation, but he was not worthy to hear it. Maharchu, upon hearing this—was greatly pained, and sat in a fast to request mercy from Hashem, Blessed be He, that the Ari reveal the seventh explanation to him. Then they informed him from Heaven that he should go again to the Ari and study the wisdom of Kabbalah under him. The Ari, of blessed memory, received him with joy, and told him that he had a short time left to live (about twenty months) as he was sent from Heaven for his sake.

And behold, when the Ari began to explain to him the seventh explanation, Rabbi Chaim did not grasp the explanation due to the great depth of the matter, and then the Ari told him that they should go together to the Sea of Tiberias (the Sea of Galilee) and there he would drink from the Well of Miriam. When they arrived at the Sea of Tiberias, the Ari pointed to a specific spot, and told his student to draw water and drink, and ever since he drank — the gates of Heaven were opened to him and he understood all the revelations that the Holy Ari revealed to him, and thus he composed his books — 'Eight Gates', which are: Gate of Intentions (Sha'ar HaKavanot), Gate of Reincarnations (Sha'ar HaGilgulim), Gate of the Divine Spirit (Sha'ar Ruach HaKodesh), Gate of the Teachings of Rashbi (Sha'ar Ma'amarei Rashbi), and more. Until here.

And if so, we can imagine for ourselves what great achievements the Nation of Israel reached in the wilderness, because by drinking the waters of the Well — their Torah was not forgotten, and by eating the Manna they merited spiritual elevation. And as our Sages of blessed memory said (Yoma 75b) on the verse (Psalms 78:25): "Man ate the bread of the mighty (avirim)" — the Manna that the Children of Israel ate in the wilderness was the food of the ministering angels, and it was absorbed into the two hundred and forty-eight limbs [avirim - limbs (evarim)].

And this was the will of the Holy One, Blessed be He, that the Nation of Israel be delayed from entering the land flowing with milk and honey, so that they would enter the land with a great treasure of Torah that would benefit generations to come.

The Remedy (Segulah) of Healing in the Well of Miriam

And it is known, that in the Well of Miriam there was a special healing, such that anyone who fell ill and drank from the waters of the well – was healed. As the 'Kol Bo' wrote (section 41) that women used to draw water from the wells on Saturday night after Barechu, because then the Well of Miriam passes over all the wells, and thus it is possible that at the very moment she draws – the well will pass through there.

And a story occurred with a woman whose husband was afflicted with boils, and she went to draw water on Saturday night, and the Well of Miriam chanced upon her and she filled from it without her knowledge. Afterward, she stood in the courtyard and chatted with her friends and returned home late. Her husband, who had waited for her for a long time – was very angry with her, and in his anger he struck the pitcher, and due to this the pitcher fell from her hand and spilled, and a few drops splattered from it onto his skin. And in every place where the water fell – his skin was healed like the skin of an infant. The husband was greatly grieved, and said: If I had drunk from these waters – my entire body would have been healed. And about this our Sages of blessed memory said (Kiddushin 41a): The hot-tempered person – nothing comes into his hand except his hot temper (Midrash Aggadah, brought in Beit Yosef, Orach Chaim, section 299).

And now let us consider: if the water benefitted that person afflicted with boils for his healing in those places where the water touched his skin, let us imagine for ourselves – what Israel merited who drank from the Well of Miriam for forty years.