2022/5782
Throughout our dynamic history, there have been many prominent women who have taken on critical roles (see Megillah 14a). Although these women seem to have arisen to their greatness independent of each other, especially considering the large gap of years in between many of them, there is a fascinating Midrash that bridges the lives of Sarah and Esther. The Midrash (BeReishit Rabbah 58:3, Esther Rabbah 1:8) states that when Rebbi Akiva’s students started to doze off he woke them up with the following drasha: what made Esther fit for ruling over 127 kingdoms? Esther wanted to rule over 127 kingdoms just like Sarah lived until 127. The Medrish is perplexing. Why is Rebbi Akiva using this teaching to wake up his students? How does the amount of kingdoms Esther ruled correlate with the amount of years Sarah lived? What is the connection between Sarah and Esther?
The Chiddushei HaRim (Chayei Sarah 2 see also the Yalkut Yehudah on the Midrash) explains that Rebbi Akiva was sending his students a profound message. Rebbi Akiva understood that the student’s lethargy in their learning and spiritual endeavors was due to a feeling of detachment to Hashem known as “Hastarat Panim'', hiding of the face. The Chiddushei Harim explains that Esther came to power in a time of Hastarah with the help of Sarah Imeinu’s merits, because Sarah represents the unconditional connection Bnei Yisrael has with Hashem. Unlike Avraham, who represented unconditional love to everyone, only Bnei Yisrael are able to handle the fear required for the Sarah, officer and judge, of the nations. Due to Bnei Yisrael’s unique ability to connect to Hashem through Sarah, when the connection with Hashem feels lost due to difficult circumstances, Sarah’s merits come to save us. When Rebbi Akiva’s students felt the disconnect in exile and could not connect to their learning, he woke them up with this critical message: we have a special connection to Hashem no matter what. The ultimate proof of this is the Esther and Hastarah of Purim.
The Chiddushei Harim (ibid. See also Yeinah Shel Torah on Megillat Esther page 3) alternatively explains Rebbi Akvia’s message in a more rebuking form. When Rebbi Akiva’s students fell asleep he woke them by explaining to them the power of time. With the power of a lifetime Sarah was able to influence generations upon generations even in the most difficult time. For each year of Sarah’s life she was able to rule over a future kingdom. Even in the most difficult times the effort Sarah put into building a nation allowed for great leaders like Esther to arise.
Although one can explain how this Midrash reflects on Sarah, it may be that the Midrash attests to the greatness of Esther. The Alshich (Megillat Esther 2:7) explains that Chazal wanted to protect Esther’s reputation. Unlike Sarah who was saved from Pharaoh without ever having relations with him, Esther had to sacrifice her entire lifestyle and live with an evil person (see Megillah 11a). This Medrish imparts the message that Esther was righteous and merited to save Bnei Yisrael just like Sarah merited to have Bnei Yisrael taken out of Mitzraim by refraining from having relations with Pharaoh (see Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:12). The Midrash teaches the valuable lesson that although a situation may hint at poor behavior after further examination that person may be valued as an extremely righteous person. This approach may be the underlying meaning of an often quoted phrase of Chazal: הוי דן את כל האדם לכף זכות, judge all men with the scale weighted in his favor (Pirkei Avot 1:6). Although it may seem that a person is acting in a wicked way, one must always consider the possibility that this act is proper and beneficial to the well being of the perpetrator and/or Bnei Yisrael (see Cheishek Shlomo to Pirkei Avot 1:6). Although one can interpret Esther's behavior with Achashveirosh as degrading and almost improper, Chazal teach that she behaved righteously.
On a similar note, the Torat Chayim (on Sanhedrin 74b s.v V’ha) writes that Esther was hesitant to sacrifice herself for the sake of Bnei Yisrael, but when she realized that the Torah spelled out the years of Sarah’s life, there must have been the purpose. Esther connected the years of one of the most righteous women to the action she was about to undertake in order to instill confidence in her decision.
Many explain the theoretical connection between the two righteous women, but what actual similarities existed between the two? The Torat Chayim lists six commonalities between the two: 1.They both were forcibly taken into a king’s palace in order to save others 2.They both were queens over the entire world 3.They were both extraordinarily beautiful 4.They both had divine providence 5.They both hid their relationships with their husbands 6.They both the letter ה added to their name. Despite the small difference in the methodology of their heroism, they were both virtuous women who committed all for the sake of Bnei Yisrael.
At first glance, one could have just left this perplexing Medrish as one of those “fluffy” statements that does not reflect anything deep. But as many aspects of Torah prove, with thought provoking questions and a little analysis, one can open a treasure chest of beautiful Torah. The connection between Sarah and Esther is no exception. Through this exploration of a beautiful Midrash, we see the greatness and profundity in the statements of Chazal.