ויהיו חיי שרה
The מדרש רבה relates that רבי עקיבא was once giving a shiur, when he noƟced that his Talmidim were beginning to fall asleep. Wishing to awaken them, he said: “What did אסתר do that she merited to become queen over 127 lands? Since אסתר was a descendant of שרה, who lived 127 years, she was Zoche to rule over 127 lands.”
One may ask, what is the connecƟon between שרה אמנו living 127 years to אסתר המלכה being a queen over 127 lands?
We can explain that ר בי עקיבא wanted to impress upon his Talmidim the tremendous importance of every moment in the life of someone who serves Hashem. אסתר המלכה merited ruling over 127 lands in the merit of שר ה אמנו , who lived for 127 years and served Hashem faithfully throughout her life. In other words, אסתר received a land for every year of שרה's life. Accordingly, one could say that for every month she merited a large city, for every week a small city, and for every moment several streets. This teaches us the immeasurable value of every moment spent serving Hashem. רבי עקיבא shared this teaching with his Talmidim to awaken them to the importance of valuing their Ɵme and making the most of every moment.
The Tzaddik Rav Tzadok HaKohen of Lublin zt”l offers a different explanaƟon of this Midrash. He explains that רבי עקיבא had been teaching deep Torah concepts, but his Talmidim began to fall asleep because they felt that such high levels of Torah were beyond their reach. רבי עקיבא wanted to awaken them and show them that everyone has the ability to reach even the highest levels in Torah.
This is based on the teaching of Chazal that every person must ask, “When will my deeds reach the level of the deeds of my forefathers, אברהם יצחק ויעקב - The implicaƟon is that since every Jew is a descendant of the אבות, he possesses the ability to aƩain, at least to some degree, their greatness. Indeed חז״ל teach that there is no generaƟon without someone who is like אברהם .אבינו
With this Rav Tzadok explains the Midrash's quesƟon, “What did אסתר do that she merited to rule over 127 lands?” The quesƟon is not merely what gave אסתר the Zechus to become queen, but rather what gave her the courage to approach אחשורוש without being summoned, placing her life in danger and relying on a miracle.
The Midrash answers that אסתר was a descendant of שרה אמנו , who lived 127 years. Hashem considered all 127 years of שרה's life worthy, including her earlier years, before she had reached the great level she ulƟmately aƩained. Similarly, although אברהם אבינו only recognized Hashem at the age of forty-eight, Hashem assured him that he need not regret his earlier years, for they too were considered valuable.
This gave אסתר the courage to approach the king. She understood that just as Hashem had regarded all of שרה's years favorably, including those in which she had not yet reached her later greatness, so too Hashem would surely help her and bring about the salvaƟon of כלל ישראל through her.
We learn from this that the words of Chazal, “When will my deeds reach the level of the deeds of my forefathers?” are not merely an expression of aspiraƟon, but also a source of encouragement and assurance. They teach us that every person has the ability to aƩain, in some measure, the greatness of the אבות.
The אבות and אמהות planted within their descendants the strength to reach great levels in עבודת ה', Every Jew can draw upon this inherited strength to grow and come closer to Hashem. This is what רבי עקיבא wanted to teach his Talmidim: No one should ever feel that great levels in Torah and עבודת ה׳ are beyond his reach. Every Jew has a connecƟon to the אבות and אמהות and through that connecƟon, he possesses the ability to rise to tremendous heights.
