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Bruriah, the wife of the renowned Mishnaic sage, Tanna Rabbi Meir, was known for her erudition and sharp tongue and was considered a ‘scholar’ in every sense of the word. Rabbi Meir and Bruriah had neighbors who made their lives miserable. One day, Rabbi Meir was praying for something bad to happen to them. Bruriah said to him: “The verse says ‘sins shall cease.’ It does not say that ‘sinners’ shall cease, but rather ‘sins.’ You have to pray for the evil to vanish and not that something bad happen to the wicked people. You should therefore ask for mercy for them, that they repent.” Rabbi Meir admitted that she was right and asked for mercy for his neighbors, who did in fact abandon their evil ways.
