Parsha Halacha

Parsha Halacha – Parshat Korach

Rabbi Meir, Bruriah, and the Hooligans

Praying for the Wicked to Repent

Co-sponsored by Daniel and Melina Mizrahi in memory of Daniel’s father, Avraham ben Shmuel and by Jean-Jacques and Perla Edderai in honor of their children and grandchildren

Parsha Halacha is underwritten by a grant from Dr. Stephen and Bella Brenner and Dr. Morton Borg in loving memory of Stephen's father, Shmuel Tzvi ben Pinchas, and Bella's and Morton's parents, Avraham ben Yitzchak and Leah bas HaRav Sholom Zev HaCohen

To sponsor or subscribe, please email rabbicitron@hotmail.com

Click here for a printable version of my article

The Torah portion of Korach contains the story of the mutiny of Korach during which Moshe prayed that Korach, his group, and their possessions be swallowed up by the earth, which is exactly what happened.^[1] In connection with this, this article will discuss whether or not it is appropriate to pray for the annihilation of the wicked.

Rabbi Meir, Bruriah, and the Hooligans

The Talmud^[2] tells the following story about praying for the punishment of the wicked:

There were hooligans^[3] in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood who caused him a great deal of anguish. Rabbi Meir prayed that they should die.^[4] Rabbi Meir’s wife, Bruriah, the very learned daughter of Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon, said to him: “What is your thinking? Do you base yourself on the verse, יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים (normally translated as ‘Let sinners be destroyed.’^[5]) But is it written, יִתַּמּוּ חוֹטְאִים ’Let “sinners” be destroyed?” The verse says יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים which can mean ‘Let “sins” be destroyed.” As such, one should pray for an end to their transgressions, not for the death of the transgressors. Rabbi Meir prayed for G-d to have mercy on them, and they repented.

Abba Chilkiyah, his Wife, and the Hooligans

Similarly, the Talmud says^[6] that when Abba Chilkiyah (a righteous sage from the Second Temple era) and his wife prayed for rain, Aba Chilkiyah’s wife’s prayers were answered before his because Abba Chilkiyah would pray for the death of the hooligans in their neighborhood while she would pray that they do teshuvah.

It’s a Good Thing Terach Wasn’t Killed

Along the same lines the Zohar says,^[7] “Rebbi (Yehudah HaNassi) said: It is a mitzvah for a person to pray for the wicked that they should repent and not be consigned to Gehinnom. As it is written:^[8] ‘But as for me (King David), when they (the wicked) were ill, I would wear sackcloth (while fasting and praying for their recovery).’”

“Rebbi also said: It is forbidden for a person to pray that the wicked be removed from the world, for had the Holy One, blessed be He, removed Terach from the world when he was an idol-worshiper, then Avraham, our forefather, would never have come into existence. Nor would the tribes of Israel have existed, nor King David, nor King Moshiach. The Torah would not have been given, and all those righteous, pious, and prophetic figures would never have come into the world.”

Rabbi Meir’s Reasoning

Rabbi Meir didn’t originally consider praying that the hooligans repent as he didn’t believe that such a prayer would be effective as it would take away the free choice of the sinners. It was only when Bruriah explained her opinion to him (see below) that he acquiesced.^[9]

Removing Free Choice

The commentaries^[10] question how praying can cause someone else do teshuvah when, according to our sages, ^[11] “Everything is in the hands of Heaven besides fear of Heaven,” i.e., human beings have the freedom to choose between doing good or evil?

Several explanations are given to this matter:

• Lowering the Volume of Sinful Desire

Some people are born with a higher-than-average tendency towards negative behaviors. It’s therefore difficult, although not impossible, for them to make the correct moral choices. Rabbi Meir’s neighbors were such people. As such, Rabbi Meir prayed that G-d tone down their sinful desires so that they only have the same challenges as most people. This means that even after Rabbi Meir’s prayer was accepted, the hooligans still had the same desire to sin as most people and so they were free to choose.^[12]

• Fear of Punishment

Although G-d doesn’t assist people to achieve a high level “fear of heaven,” he does, occasionally, help people feel fear of punishment by showing them how the punishment is meted out to other sinners. As such, Rabbi Meir was praying that his neighbors see (notice) the suffering of other sinners and that this would make them rethink their freewheeling lifestyles.^[13]

• Prayer Isn’t Extraneous

In general, one may pray for Divine Assistance in one’s own path towards teshuvah (as we do in the fifth blessing of the Amidah). This isn’t considered an abrogation of one’s free will, since one is using his free will to ask that G-d change his will. One may also pray in the same manner for others since all Jews are considered like one entity.^[14]

• Divine Assist

Rabbi Meir didn’t pray that his neighbors be “forced” to do teshuvah by Divine decree but, rather, that they receive Divine assistance in the form of supernal inspiration, to nudge them in the right direction.^[15]

Why Did King David Pray for the Death of the Wicked?

While Bruriah convinced Rabbi Meir not to pray for the death of the wicked but rather for their repentance, we find many examples when the righteous did pray for the death of the wicked. 

●      King David prayed for the death of his wicked enemies on several occasions in Tehillim (Psalms). For example, in Psalm 109^[16] he says, “Let his days be few; and let another take his possessions. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife be a widow. Let his children be vagabonds, and beg…nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children… let their name be blotted out… may He cut off the memory of them from the earth.” 

●      As mentioned above, Moses prayed that Korach and his group be swallowed up by the earth. 

●      In addition, in the Amidah which we pray three times a day, we say, “For the informers let there be no hope, and may all wickedness instantly perish. May all the enemies of Your nation be swiftly cut off, and the wicked government may You quickly uproot, break, decimate, and humble, speedily in our days…”

The commentaries offer several resolutions to this question;

•  Some Wicked Are Beyond Hope

The Ben Ish Chai writes that King David was praying for the death of specific wicked people because he perceived, by Divine insight, that they were so sunken into the side of unholiness that they were beyond doing Teshuvah. A similar explanation can be given for why Moshe prayed for the death of Korach. In terms of the blessing in the Amidah prayer, this too can be interpreted to be referring to the wicked who are beyond hope.

• Instigators of Sin

Alternately, the Ben Ish Chai writes, that King David only prayed for the death of people who were instigating others to sin since the Mishnah says^[17] that such people will not be given the opportunity to do Teshuvah. Korach was certainly in that category and our prayers for the “uprooting” of the informers may be referring to similar sinners. The hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighborhood, however, were sinners who were not instigating others to follow in their paths.

• The Halacha Doesn’t Follow Bruriah

Some say^[18] that the halacha doesn’t follow Bruriah’s opinion and that one may pray for the death of sinners as we do every day, just as Moshe and King David did.^[19]

Women Are More Merciful

It has been suggested that Bruriah and the wife of Abba Chilkiyah took the position that one shouldn’t pray for the death of the wicked because, by nature, women are more merciful than men.^[20]

Others say^[21] that the reason Bruriah and Abba Chilkiyah’s wife exhorted their husbands to pray for the wicked to repent rather than to die, is that the very concept of death is connected with the sin of the first woman (with the Tree of Knowledge). These righteous women wanted to minimize death as much as possible (since it was associated with their ancestress) and instead wanted to encourage Teshuvah which brings blessings and long life.

May We Merit to Do Teshuvah and to Inspire Others to Do Teshuvah!

[1] Numbers 16:28-30

[2] Brachot 10a

[3] According to Tosfot HaRosh they were Jewish thieves. Rabbi Yakov Kaminetzky (in Emet LeYa’akov) writes that בִּרְיוֹנֵי means "sons of Greeks" i.e., Greeks or people who followed the Hellenistic lifestyle. 

[4] According to the Kedusha UVracha (by Rabbi Naftoly Katz, author of Semichat Chachamim from 17^th Century Ostrow, Ukraine), Rabbi Meir simply recited the morning prayers which include the words “and distance me from wicked neighbors” (based on Brachot 16b) while having his wicked neighbors in mind. This prayer was understood to mean that they should die.

[5] Psalms 104:35. See Emet LeYa’akov

[6] Ta’anit 23b, cited in Gilyon HaShas.

[7] Midrash Hane’elam, parshat VaYeira on Gen. 18:17 quoted in ibid.

[8] Tehillim 35:13

[9] Ben Yehoyadah.

[10] See Maharsha.

[11] Brachot 33b.

[12] Me’il Tzedakah (by Rabbi Yonah Landsofer of 17^th-century Prague) Siman 7, based on Rashi D.H. Chata’im Ketiv, quoted in Yalkut Bi’urim on Brachot ibid.

[13] Ahavat Eitan on the Ein Ya’akov.

[14] Chazon Ish, see Yalkut Bi’urim, ibid.

[15] Megadim Chadashim (by Rabbi Yoel David Wiess, Jerusalem 1989) on Brachot, ibid. 

[16] Verses 8 - 15.

[17] Avot 5:18.

[18] Divrei Torah by Rabbi Chaim Eliezer Shapiro of Munkacs, Mahadura Batra, number 46.

[19] See Avoda Zarah 18b Rashi D.H. Ika De’Amri. 

It is noteworthy that in the version of the story told in the Midrash (Shochar Tov 104), there is no record that Rabbi Meir accepted Beruriah’s argument.

[20] See Megillah 14b regarding Chuldah the prophetess.

[21] Poroshat Mordechai on the Ein Ya’akov.

Wishing you a Chodesh Tov and a Shabbat Shalom Umevorach!