The Midrash says:
Once, as Rabbi Akiva taught a class, he noticed that the audience began falling asleep. He wished to awaken them. Rabbi Akiva interrupted his lecture and said: Why did Esther, the queen of Achashverosh, the monarch of the Persian Empire, merit to reign over 127 countries? Because Esther was a granddaughter of Sarah, who lived for 127 years. Let the granddaughter of Sarah, who lived for 127 years, come and reign over 127 countries.
This is how Rabbi Akiva got the audience to wake up.
This is such a strange story. It evokes a number of questions. We will discuss one. Why did Rabbi Akiva choose this particular insight from all the endless ideas he could have shared as the way of waking up his drowsy crowd? And why did he think that this statement would awaken them? It does not seem to be such a humorous, dramatic, or exhilarating statement as to awaken a Jewish audience from their sleep during the rabbi’s sermon. I mean, we all know that getting a Jew out of his slumber during a rabbi’s sermon is a unique skill, unheard of as of yet in the annals of Jewish history! [At least, I can speak for myself. In my years as a rabbi, I am still trying to master this skill, but to no avail.]
CHERISH THE SECOND
The question was answered by the first Rebbe of Ger, the Chedushei Harim (Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter, 1799–1866), in a rather creative way. Through this observation, Rabbi Akiva gently reprimanded his students for sleeping through the class. If Esther reigned over 127 countries, or provinces, in the large Persian Empire, corresponding to Sarah’s 127 years of life, it follows that for each year of Sarah’s life, Esther was granted kingship over an entire province or country. It follows then, that for each month of her life, she was given the gift of kingship over an entire city (a country contains at least 12 cities.) It follows then, that for each week of her life, she was rewarded with a town (a city has at least four towns). This would mean that for each day of her life, she was rewarded with a neighborhood or section of the town. If we break it down even further, we will find that for every second of her life, she was rewarded with an entire block, over which her descendant, Queen Esther, ruled!
Rabbi Akiva thus sought to impress upon his students the value, potential, and significance of every moment of life. Sarah received immense reward for each and every second of her life because she devoted all her time and energy to living an honest, meaningful, and good life. This was the subtle message that Rabbi Akiva, in his pedagogical brilliance, conveyed to his sleepy students. We cannot squander such a valuable resource as time—not even a minute! Each moment is precious and laden with great potential.
THE MURDEROUS TEACHER
Aristotle once asked his students: Who is the greatest teacher who kills all of his students? The answer: Time!
TIME IS LIFE
The Lubavitcher Rebbe once told my late father, Mr. Gershon Jacobson: “The world says, ‘Time is money.’ I say, ‘Time is life!’”
This is what Rabbi Akiva was telling his students: Don’t sleep through your life. If you are sleeping in my class, you are sleeping through life. Look at Sarah, and see what she accomplished within one minute.
