Our Gemara on Amud Aleph tells us a heartwarming story about Rabbi Akiva and Rachel’s love for each other, and sacrifice for Torah:

בְּסִיתְוָא הֲוָה גָּנוּ בֵּי תִיבְנָא, הֲוָה קָא מְנַקֵּיט לַיהּ תִּיבְנָא מִן מַזְּיַיהּ. אֲמַר לַהּ: אִי הֲוַאי לִי, רָמֵינָא לִיךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם דְּדַהֲבָא. אֲתָא אֵלִיָּהוּ אִידְּמִי לְהוֹן כֶּאֱנָשָׁא וְקָא קָרֵי אַבָּבָא. אֲמַר לְהוּ: הַבוּ לִי פּוּרְתָּא דְתִיבְנָא דִּילֵדַת אִתְּתִי, וְלֵית לִי מִידַּעַם לְאַגְנוֹיַהּ. אֲמַר לַהּ רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא לְאִנְתְּתֵיהּ: חֲזִי גַּבְרָא דַּאֲפִילּוּ תִּיבְנָא לָא אִית לֵיהּ.

In the winter they would sleep in a storehouse of straw, and Rabbi Akiva would gather strands of straw from her hair. He said to her: If I had the means I would place on your head a Jerusalem of Gold, a type of crown. Elijah the prophet came and appeared to them as a regular person and started calling and knocking on the door. He said to them: Give me a bit of straw, as my wife gave birth and I do not have anything on which to lay her. Rabbi Akiva said to his wife: See this man, who does not even have straw. We should be happy with our lot, as we at least have straw to sleep on.

The Meor Einayim (Toldos “Shney Goyyim”) explains some deeper elements to this story. Esav had good “sparks” contained within him, and when he spoke to Yitschok, he sensed this goodness. Rabbi Akiva, who was one of Esau’s descendants, was somehow in spiritual embryonic form, inside the dialogue. Esau’s questions to Yitschok about if one is obligated to take maaser from salt or straw (see Rashi 25:27), which according to the Midrash, was fake piety, also represented a spark of goodness which later would come out with Rabbi Akiva. In a certain sense, Rabbi Akiva (and Esav) DID give maaser from straw, in giving the pauper some of his bedding from the barn.

These mystical peshatim are psychologically meaningful as well in that evil people are not seen as all bad. They have certain good potentialities locked within, that can bubble up to the surface unconsciously. This is a lesson to see and find the good in all people, and who knows, with the right attention, sometimes the good can be amplified and consistently manifest. 

Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation

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