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There is a puzzling Midrash on the first Pasuk of Chayei Sarah which connects to Purim (Midrash Rabbah 58:3). The Midrash takes us back to Rabi Akiva’s shiur where some of his students were dozing off. The Midrash then explains how he got them back into the learning that day. Rabi Akiva said what merit did Esther have to rule over one hundred and twenty seven provinces? It was through the merit of Sarah who lived one hundred and twenty seven perfect years. 

Many questions arise from this Midrash. How could these students doze off while the great Rabi Akiva was teaching? What can we learn from Sarah in regard to Esther which was being conveyed over to the students?

To understand why the students were dozing off we must understand what they were going through at that time. The Minchas Aharon says that this took place during the Bar Kochva rebellion which followed the destruction of the second Beit Hamikdash. The Romans wanted to make Jewish life harder and made many harsh decrees to take away the Jews’ motivation. Rabi Akiva famously ignored one of the decrees, not to teach Torah out in public, as the Gemara points out (Brachot 61b). While teaching to the masses, Rabi Akiva saw that people were “dozing off,” or falling into this state of depression from the Romans. Rabi Akiva wanted to get them out of this state and wanted them to have faith in Hashem. In doing so, he referred to the days of Esther where Haman tried to annihilate us, yet Mordechai and Esther had faith in Hashem, salvation arrived, and Esther merited to rule over 127 cities. 

Rabbi Tzadok Hakohen, in the Pri Tzaddik, addresses this. He explains that the audience that Rabi Akiva was teaching to was in an imperfect spiritual state, thereby feeling no connection to the great thoughts of Rabi Akiva. 

Rabi Akiva was trying to get rid of these feelings as he knew that each one of his students had the potential to reach great heights such as that of the avot and that we all have to strive towards this goal. Rabi Akiva brought up Esther as an example. She could have been depressed due to having been married off the Achashverosh and separated from her people, but she realized that if Hashem put her in such a place then it was for some sort of reason; it was the divine plan in which she was playing a part of. She learned this outlook from Sarah who’s days were perfect, even her days in Haran’s household which were not as spiritual as those in Avraham’s. Hashem still considered all of her days to be perfect because Sarah took advantage of every situation she went through. 

What can we learn from this? What is the Midrash trying to teach us?

The Chidushei HaRim explains that Rabi Akiva was pointing out that for each one of Sarah’s perfect years in service of Hashem Esther merited to rule over a province. Each day was worth a town and each hour was worth a district. If such reward was given as a result of serving Hashem, then how can one fall asleep during such an amazing opportunity. That is what Rabi Akiva was trying to teach his students. That’s how he motivated them to stay awake.

Not only was Rabi Akiva trying to teach that to his students, he was also teaching it to us. We have so many great opportunities to take advantage of. We can’t fall asleep on those opportunities. We have to learn from both Sarah and Esther. Each second is invaluable; each hour was a district and each day was a town. This Purim let us all learn from Sarah and Esther and take advantage of all the time we have.