There is an amazing Midrash at the beginning of this week’s Parsha.
Rabbi Akiva was studying with his students. He noticed that they were falling asleep and wanted to catch their attention that they should wake up and follow his class. He asked the following question. How did Queen Esther reign over 127 countries?
Rabbi Akiva answered, in the merit of being a great granddaughter of Sarah Imeinu who lived 127 years.
This Midrash needs an explanation.
There was an important meeting of Roshei Yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael. Someone spoke and in his speech he mentioned a great Rosh yeshiva, who had recently passed away. He took the opportunity to say a Hesped (eulogy) mentioning his brilliance and his Yiras Shamayim.
Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz, one of the Roshei Yeshiva in the Mir was very disappointed at the Hesped. Another Rosh Yeshiva sitting next to him asked Reb Chaim what was wrong with what had been said?
Reb Chaim replied, “giving a Hesped is a Mitzva and like every Mitzva it has Halachos. The Halachos of giving a Hesped are written in the Torah.”
The Rosh Yeshiva asked Reb Chaim, “What and where is written in the Torah how one should eulogize?”
Reb Chaim replied, “the Torah tells us that Avraham Avinu came to give a Hesped on Sarah and cry over her passing. What did Avraham say? He never announced that she was greater than him in Nevuah – prophecy, he never mentioned about all her holy working converting the ladies to believe in Hashem, he never spoke about her share in their Hachnosas Orchim, nor did he even make note how she educated and raised Yitzchak. All he praised her was that throughout her life, all her years were equally good, that she utilized all her life, every day, all day for her Avodas Hashem. As Rashi says, Kulam shavim letoiva – all were equally good. Avraham praised her outstanding diligence and continuity.”
Reb Chaim Shmulevitz in his lectures would say, to heat up hot water in a kettle takes eight minutes. If a person removes the kettle from the fire after five minutes, waits a few minutes and puts it back on the flame for another five minutes, even if he were to do it all day the kettle will never boil.
When we look at great Rabbis who spent all their lives learning Torah, we understand that their success is based on the great number of hours they learned. If we study an hour a day, they studied twelve, fifteen or even eighteen hours a day. So it’s obvious that they amassed much more knowledge than us.
The Ritva explains that when a person learns three or four hours without stopping, it’s not just like someone who learned four hours, but every hour doubles itself. So four hours is like learning 16 hours. The continuity adds amazing quality, quantity and power to the learning that it’s worth so much more.
In the same way Rav Chaim Shmulevitz explains the famous story in the Gemarah.
Rabbi Akiva married Rachel, the daughter of Kalba Savua. At the age of forty he began to learn Torah. He left to Yeshiva and returned twelve years later. As he was about to enter his home he heard an interesting conversation from outside.
Someone inside was making fun of Rachel how her husband had left her alone for twelve years. Rachel answered the person that if her husband could hear her opinion, she would be happy if he stayed to study another twelve years.
Rabbi Akiva turned around and went straight back, he never even entered for a moment to say hi.
The obvious question is if he had already travelled so far why didn’t he go in for a minute to speak to his wife?
Rav Chaim Shmulevitz explains that those few moments would have broken the continuity. It wouldn’t have been 24 years; it would have been two sets of twelve years. The great Rabbi Akiva understood the major difference.
On top, Rabbi Akiva understood that if he arrived at that moment to hear his wife saying those words it was a message from Heaven that he goes straight back.
Now we can understand the words of Rabbi Akiva.
Every year of Sara Imeinu’s life earned her great granddaughter Queen Esther another country. Every month, another state, every week, another city, every hour a few streets and every minute a few buildings.
If Sara hadn’t utilized every minute of her life, Esther wouldn’t have had the full 127 countries.
This was the message Rabbi Akiva was teaching his students. Every day is important, every class is unique and mustn’t be missed.
The same message applies to all of us. Maybe we aren’t on that level to be able to utilize every second or every minute of our lives. But we must at least try to utilize every day as much as we can and try not to miss any days from using them for Torah, Tefilla, Chessed and Mitzvos.
Specifically at such a time where so many lives of Yidden are at risk and Chazal tell us that Torah has such power to save, we need to put in extra effort to learn Torah with diligence and without interruptions. This is the biggest Shemirah – guard for ourselves, our brethren in Eretz Yisrael and the Diaspora who are in danger and for all the Jewish soldiers who are in such danger that they should all arrive back home to their families alive and well.
