The
challenge of every mechanech or teacher is to always find new ways to
stimulate and keep up the excitement in the classroom each and every day.
More often than not, one or more of the class loses focus or tends to doze
off in the middle of a shiur or lesson. The challenge is how to revive
their attention and recapture their interest in the most subtle manner
possible.
The great
Tanna Rabbi Akiva, though a world renown scholar, had to face that same
daunting challenge so many years ago as well. The Talmud relates that once
during a shiur Rabbi Akiva noticed his students dozing off, and so, to get
their attention, he posed a question to them. �Why did Queen Esther merit
to become queen of 127 countries?� He immediately answered the question as
follows. �Because her ancestor, the mother of Klal Yisrael, Soroh Imainu,
lived 127 years.�
This
perplexing Gemorah is difficult to understand for two reasons. First, why
did Rabbi Akiva choose to �wake up� his Talmidim with such a question and
answer? What is the subtle message in his question and answer?
And even
more difficult to explain, what is the answer? What do the years of
Soroh�s life have to do with the number of countries that Esther ruled?
Maybe we
can begin to explain this Gemorah with a look at another perplexing
Medrash. The Medrash tells us that after Haman received Achashveirosh�s
permission to destroy the Jewish people, Mordechai had a dream in which
Eliyahu HaNavi appeared to him and told him of the great turmoil in
Shamayim (heaven) as a result of this decree. Eliyahu HaNavi went to the
Avos HaKdoshim. Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov and asked them to rise up and
pray to HaShem to annul the decree. They asked, �What sin did they commit
to warrant such a punishment?� Eliyahu responded, �They participated in
the seudah (party) of Achashveirosh.� The Avos responded. �If that is so
there is not anything we can do to change the decree�.
Eliyahu
then went to Moshe Rabbeinu and pleaded with him to rise up and pray to
HaShem to rescind the decree. Moshe asked Eliyahu �Is there anyone who did
not participate in the seudah?� �Yes�, Eliyahu replied, �One tzaddik named
Mordechai�. Moshe instructed Eliyahu to go to Mordechai and instruct him
about the decree and that he gather the people and daven to HaShem for
mercy.
Moshe then
added, �Tell Mordechai that I, Moshe Rabbeinu, was also alone by the sin
of the �egel hazahav� (the golden calf), and I prayed to HaShem, and I was
successful, so you should do the same�.
Why did
Moshe feel the need to add those last few words to Mordechai? Would
Mordechai HaTzadik not jump up immediately to pray for Bnei Yisroel when
he hears about the terrible decree, even if Moshe Rabbeinu did not do so
himself? Who would not storm the heavens with Tefilah upon hearing of such
a decree, especially a great tzaddik like Mordechai?
Perhaps the
explanation is, that human nature is such that when one is faced with a
great and daunting challenge of standing alone in front of Hakodosh Boruch
Hu on behalf of Klal Yisroel, one questions oneself by saying, �I am not
fit for this, I am not worthy of this challenge ahead of me�. And so, even
the great tzaddik and leader of the Jews of Shushan felt inadequate for
this difficult task. That�s why Moshe Rabbeinu said to Eliyahu HaNavi,
tell Mordechai, �I was once in that predicament, I felt inadequate and
unworthy, and my Tefilos were accepted and the Bnei Yisroel were saved.
You can do it as well!� That message gave Mordechai the strength and the
readiness to do what was necessary.
Rabbi Akiva,
upon noticing his talmidim dozing off, understood full well that this was
not because they were overtired or disinterested. Rather, it was because
they saw their great Rebbe in front of them, the great Rabbi Akiva, �whose
name was spread from one end of the world to the other� and they felt
inadequate. How will we ever be able to reach his greatness and that
caused them to retreat.
And so
Rabbi Akiva addressed that very point with his question �Why did Esther
merit to become queen over 127 countries�, in other words, where did this
young Esther, this young Jewish orphan girl, find the strength to stand
alone and achieve such power and such greatness? The answer is she took
strength from her great great grandmother Soroh Imainu. Here was another
young woman, who together with her husband, challenged the whole world and
never wavered. Our Chazal tell us that she was the same Soroh from age 7
to age 20 to age 127, who never waned in her goals and in her commitment
to HaShem. If she can accomplish this, if she can stand alone, then Esther
said, �so will I� And she rose to the occasion.
Rabbi Akiva
said, �Dear talmidim, don�t feel inadequate, you can achieve any level you
want to. Mordechai had Moshe, Esther had Soroh, and you can use me. I was
an Am Haaretz (ignorant person) until the age of 40, and then I became
Rabbi Akiva. You can do the same, look at my accomplishments and that
should inspire you to strive to achieve your goals as well. Let�s wake up
and begin the climb upon the ladder to become great Torah scholars�.
This was
Rabbi Akiva�s Purim message to his beloved students, set an example in
front of you of what can be accomplished, of how one individual can make a
world of difference and let that inspire you to reach the great heights of
your potential.
The late
Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, Rabbi Avrohom Pam ZT�L often
related one of the most important lessons that he had learnt from his
great Rabbeim as a young student decades before. While growing up in New
York, there was once a major snowstorm that paralyzed the entire city. On
that day, only four boys were able to make it to Yeshiva, and Rav Pam was
amongst them. On that day, as on every day, their Rebbe, the great Rosh
HaYeshiva Rav Shlomo Heyman ZT�L gave his shiur at the regular time in his
normal manner which was in a loud pitch and excited voice, that usually
left him totally exhausted upon completion of the shiur. The young Avrohom
Pam approached his Rebbe and said, �There were only four of us here today,
why did you have to put so much effort and koach into today�s shiur?� The
Rosh HaYeshiva immediately responded, I didn�t just give a shiur today to
four boys, I gave shiur to their children, their children�s children,
their students and their student�s students; I gave shiur to generations
of talmidim�.
Rev Pam
never forgot that important lesson, that each student represents
generations and has such limitless potential for greatness. This is very
same message that Rabbi Akiva attempted to teach to his talmidim some two
thousand years ago.
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