Talmud: Berakhot 10a:2
With regard to the statement of Rabbi Yehuda, son of Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi, that David did not say Halleluyah until he saw the downfall of the wicked, the Gemara (Talmud) relates: There were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed for God to have mercy on them, that they should die. Rabbi Meir’s wife, Beruriah, said to him: What is your thinking? On what basis do you pray for the death of these hooligans? Do you base yourself on the verse, as it is written: “Let sins cease from the land” (Psalms 104:35), which you interpret to mean that the world would be better if the wicked were destroyed? But is it written, let sinners cease? No, “Let sins cease,” is written. One should pray for an end to their transgressions, not for the demise of the transgressors themselves.
Questions to Consider and Discuss:
- Have you ever found yourself in the role of Rabbi Meir or of Beruriah?
- If we know change is possible, why is it so hard to pray for?
