Says the Midrash:
Once, as Rabbi Akiva taught a class, he noticed that the audience began falling asleep. He wished to awaken them. Rabbi Akivah interrupted his lecture and said: Why did Esther, the queen of Achasverosh, the Monarch of the Persian Empire, decide 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 insights—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 awake a Jewish audience from their sleep during the Rabbi’s sermon? I mean, we all know that to get 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 Akiba 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 Ester, 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.
