What did Queen Ester have in common with Sarah?

Parshat Chayei Sarah (Breisheet 23:1) begins with the words:

The lifetime of Sarah consisted of one hundred years, twenty years and seven years. These were the years of Sarah’s life.

The Midrash, Breisheet Rabba 58:4, comments on the number 127:

Rabbi Akiva was once lecturing and the congregation became drowsy. Wishing to wake them up, he remarked: Why did Ester deserve to reign over 127 countries? The reason is this: Let Ester, the descendant of Sarah, who lived 127 years, come and reign over 127 provinces in Sarah’s merit and she will save the Jewish people.

Firstly, it is interesting to see that the phenomenon of people falling asleep in shul is not something new, and even took place during a speech that was given by Rabbi Akiva!

Secondly, even back then, rabbis had to find something really interesting to grab the attention of the public.

Rabbi Hanoch Teller brings the teaching of Rabbi Yitzchak Meir of Gur:

Rabbi Akiva wished to stress the value of time. How was Ester able to rule over 127 countries? Because Sarah’s years were free of sin. Sarah’s well spent time meant that every moment of her existence earned a reward.

Rabbi Akiva’s insightful teaching woke up his congregation and his words should wake us up too. We must consider how to make better use of our time. How we use our time well vs. if we waste our time can have repercussions in the future.