הָנְהוּ בִּרְיוֹנֵי דַּהֲווֹ בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר וַהֲווֹ קָא מְצַעֲרוּ לֵיהּ טוּבָא.
הֲוָה קָא בָּעֵי רַבִּי מֵאִיר רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלֵימוּתוּ.
אָמְרָה לֵיהּ בְּרוּרְיָא דְּבֵיתְהוּ: מַאי דַּעְתָּךְ — מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״,
מִי כְּתִיב ״חוֹטְאִים״? ״חַטָּאִים״ כְּתִיב.
וְעוֹד, שְׁפֵיל לְסֵיפֵיהּ דִּקְרָא ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״, כֵּיוָן דְּ״יִתַּמּוּ חַטָּאִים״ ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״?
אֶלָּא בְּעִי רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ דְּלַהְדְּרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה, ״וּרְשָׁעִים עוֹד אֵינָם״.
בְּעָא רַחֲמֵי עִלָּוַיְהוּ, וַהֲדַרוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה.
There were these hooligans in Rabbi Meir’s neighbourhood who caused him great distress.
Rabbi Meir prayed for God to have mercy on them, that they should die.
Rabbi Meir’s wife, Bruria, said to him: What is your thinking? Do you base yourself on the verse: “Let sins cease from the land” (Psalms 104:35)?
It doesn’t say “let sinners cease?” but “let that which causes sin [the evil inclination?] cease.”
Furthermore go to the end of the verse, where it says: “And the wicked will be no more.” If, as you suggest, “let sins cease” refers to putting an end to sinners how is it possible that “the wicked will be no more”? There will be other sinners!
Rather, pray for God to have mercy on sinners, so they repent. Because if they repent, then the wicked will be no more, (as they will have repented!)
Rabbi Meir saw that Berurya was correct and he prayed for God to have mercy on them, and they repented.
(לה) יִתַּ֤מּוּ חַטָּאִ֨ים ׀ מִן־הָאָ֡רֶץ
וּרְשָׁעִ֤ים ׀ ע֤וֹד אֵינָ֗ם
בָּרְכִ֣י נַ֭פְשִׁי אֶת־יְהֹוָ֗ה הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃ {פ}
(35) May sinners disappear from the earth,
and the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. Hallelujah.