On the surface, the prophet’s words “Ho, everyone thirsty, go to water!” (Is. 55:1) are strange.
What benefit is there in telling a thirsty person to go to water?
This is stating the obvious!
Moreover, we encounter another difficulty in the following talmudic teaching.
The Talmud states that the term “water” referenced in the above verse refers only to [the study of] Torah (Bava Kamma 17a).
Why must the prophet tell one who wishes to study Torah to go and do so?
That is obviously his course of action!
Rather, the prophet s words must be understood thus:
The phrase “Ho, everyone thirsty” refers not to one who thirsts for Torah, but to one who thirsts for God, while the following phrase, “go to water,” refers to Torah.
The lesson here is that a person who wishes to quench his souls thirst for a true and enduring closeness to God – not merely a superficial, transient relationship – can do so only through the study of Torah.
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz