Brachos 10
There were troublemakers in Rabbi Meir’s
neighborhood who caused him a great deal of distress. Rabbi Meir prayed that
they should die.
His wife, Bruriah, said to him, ‘What are
you thinking? Do you base yourself on the verse that states, “Let sins cease
from the land”? Does it say “sinners”? It says, “sins”! Go to the end of the verse, where it states,
“And the wicked will be no more.” Once sins cease, then the wicked will be no
more! Pray for mercy for them that they
should repent and that they shall no longer be wicked!’
He prayed for mercy for them, and they
repented.
Rabbi Meir was one of the greatest rabbis
of the Mishnaic period. In fact, anytime
we find an anonymous Mishnah, we attribute the opinion to Rabbi Meir! He was known as a miracle-worker who once
stopped a Roman execution with his mystical powers. Incredibly, till today, his extraordinary
righteousness is cited as a segula (omen) that assists with the cure of
various afflictions, including the recovery of lost property!
What issues could these troublemakers have
had with the holy and great Rabbi Meir?
Why would they have sought to distress him? He was such a righteous individual!
The answer is that they gave him problems
precisely because of his elevated stature.
These people were ne’er-do-wells who were insecure and uncomfortable in
their own skin. And so instead of taking
responsibility for their own inadequacies, they shifted their negativity to
Rabbi Meir.
Bruriah’s message to her husband was: Don’t
take it personally. They’re the ones
with the problem. Don’t stoop to their
level by fighting fire with fire.
Instead, have pity upon them and their unsuccessful lives. Once you recognize that they are to be
pitied, you will realize that the solution is to pray for them!
If you’ve achieved success in life, you
will know that, sadly, success breeds enmity.
If you’re doing the right thing and prospering, there will be difficult
people in life who try to cut you down. It’s
tempting to hope for their failure or demise.
If only they would just disappear!
But stop for a moment and ask yourself why
they’re so obsessed with your success and why they can’t just focus on their
own lives. Sometimes we pat ourselves on
the back and tell ourselves that we’re more deserving than others. After all, you’ve worked hard to get to where
you are today!
But is that 100% true? Perhaps you’ve
simply been blessed from Above? Maybe they haven’t had the same opportunities
as you? Maybe Heaven blessed you with a
greater IQ or a stronger sense of willpower, motivation and determination?
If Hashem were to grant them the same
opportunities and character traits, maybe they’d be even more successful!
Bruriah wasn’t suggesting that Rabbi Meir pray that Heaven remove their free will
to sin; that’s contrary to the Almighty’s plan for us in this world. What she wanted her husband to understand was
that they were jealous because they weren’t as accomplished as him. And that was only partly their fault. If Rabbi Meir could pray that the impediments
to their success were removed, they might very well thrive and have no reason
to be bothered by his achievements!
The Torah states that Moshe Rabbeinu was
the “humblest man on the face of the Earth.” How could that be? Didn’t he know that he took the Israelites
out of Egypt? That he spoke to Hashem
directly? That he received the Torah on
Mt. Sinai? Of course he did. But he said to himself: I was merely blessed
with unparalleled opportunities in life.
Had anyone else received those blessings of opportunity, maybe they
would have achieved even more!
When others are jealous of your success,
don’t let it get to you. Rather, pray
for their success! If they were
successful, they wouldn’t feel the need or have the time to give you
problems! May Hashem grant you and all
those around you abundant opportunities for material and spiritual prosperity
and greatness!
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