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Chaei Sarah Rebbe Akiva was teaching and the community before him was falling asleep. (little changes!) He decided to wake them up. He said, "Why did Esther merit to rule over 127 provinces? Let Esther - a descendent of Sarah, who lived 127 years come and rule over 127 provinces." (Medrash Rabba) Perhaps we can understand this strange Medrash as follows. The generation of Rebbe Akiva was despairing under the burden of the destruction of the Bais HaMikdash and the Hadrianic persecutions. Most of the leaders had been killed and the masses were in a state of depression. It was difficult to arouse the community to recommit itself to observance of Torah and Mitzvos. Therefore Rebbe Akiva explained. Reward and punishment may not follow immediately. Sometimes the real benefits of one's actions can only be seen after tens of generations. Sarah's life, when establishing the Jewish people, gave the wherewithal to Esther to remain a committed Jewess as the wife of the Persian King. Concerning the story of Eliezer the servant of Avrohom's search for a spouse on behalf of Yitzchak, Rashi quoting our sages writes, "Preferable is the discussions of the servants of our forefathers, to the Torah of the children. For the Parsha repeats the details of Eliezer's discussions, while many Torah laws are only mentioned in passing." Explains R' Mendel of Kotzk; For a child who is close to his father and is acquainted with all his father's subtleties, it is sufficient to mention something in passing for it to be recognised. However for a stranger it is necessary to mention the details. The Chasam Sofer explains the purpose of the extraordinary detail to teach us of the need to be ever so careful not to enter into an incompatible marriage. It is necessary to look into the details of the past in order to appreciate the future the person will follow. It is not sufficient to be compatible today, you need to share your goals for the future, so that not only do you start from the same place, you are also trying to go to the same place and are travelling there by the same road. In Imrei Cohan he explains; Better to learn the details of the service and actions of our forefathers, for this brings a desire to emulate them and walk in their ways. It arouses us to say, "when will my actions achieve what my forefathers achieved." From a love and appreciation of their lives we will find within ourselves a love and desire to serve Hashem as well. This is greater than the details of the Law, for the study of the Law brings you to distance yourself from what is prohibited which is not as great as striving to do what is correct. For one who is not familiar with the ways of the Torah, many things seem to be redundant and unnecessary. However, one who has trust and faith in the words of our sages, he finds revealed before him a wondrous sea of insight and understanding through the Torah of the children. This Torah of the children is what gives an understanding of the preference for the words of our forefathers. |
