Post date: Feb 23, 2018 1:33:21 PM
“Sheva v’esrim u’mei’ah midinah”
Seven and twenty and one hundred provinces
(1:1)
We’re told in Esther Rabbah (1:8) that R. Akiva once noticed that some of his students were starting to doze while he was trying to teach them. In order to arouse their attention, he asked, “How was it that Esther merited to reign over 127 provinces?” He then proceeded to answer that Hashem proclaimed about Esther, who was a descendent of Sarah who had lived 127 years of purity, should reign over 127 provinces.
While the symmetry sounds nice, what does one have to do with the other? R. Akiva pointed out that each of Sarah’s “perfect” years in service of Hashem merited a province for Esther. The Chiddushei Harim (on Parshas Chayei Sarah) explains that this meant that each day of her service was worth a town, and each hour was worth a district. R. Akiva’s message to his students was that they needed to appreciate the incredible payoff for every moment spent immersed in Torah. When they maximize their involvement in learning Torah and in service of Hashem, they and their descendants will be showered with reward far beyond their imagination. To doze while their Rebbe is trying to teach them Torah is an opportunity for tremendous gain that must not be squandered. Every moment is precious and he wanted them to appreciate that.
[Megillas Esther: The Answer Is..., p. 17]