Rabbi Meir and Beruriahרבי מאיר וברוריה

רִבִּי זְבַדְיָה חַתְנֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי לֵוִי הֲוָה מִשְׁתָּעֵי הָדֵין עוֹבְדָא. רִבִּי מֵאִיר הֲוָה יְלִיף דְּרִישׁ בִּכְנִישְׁתָּא דְחַמָּתָא כָּל לֵילֵי שׁוֹבָּא. וַהֲוָה תַמָּה חָדָא אִיתְּתָא יְלִיפָה שְׁמָעָה קָלֵיהּ. חַד זְמָן עָנֵי דָרִישׁ. אָזְלַת בָּעֲיָת מֵיעוֹל לְבֵיתֵיהּ. וְאַשְׁכָּחַת בּוֹצִינָּא מִי טָפֵי. אָמַר לָהּ בַּעֲלָהּ. הֵן הֲוָיְיתָה. אָמְרָה לֵיהּ. מִישְׁמָעָא קָלֵיהּ דִּדְרוֹשָׁא. אָמַר לָהּ. מִכָּךְ וַכָּךְ דְּלֵית הַהִיא אִיתְּתָא עָלְלָה לְהָכָא לְבֵייתָהּ עַד זְמַן דְּהִיא אָזְלָה וְרָקְקָה גַו אַפּוֹי דַּדְּרוֹשָׁא. צָפָה רִבִּי מֵאִיר בְּרוּחַ הַקּוֹדֶשׁ וַעֲבַד גַּרְמֵיהּ חֲשַׁשׁ בְּעֵיינֵיהּ. אָמַר כָּל אִיתְּתָא דְּיָדְעָה מִילְחוֹשׁ לְעֵיְינָא תֵּיתִי תִילְחוֹשׁ. אָמְרִין לָהּ מְגִירָתָא. הָא עַנְיָיתֵיךְ. תֵּיעָלִין לְבֵיתֵיךְ עַבְדִּי גַרְמֵיךְ לַחֲשָׁה לֵיהּ וְאַתְּ רָקְקָה גַו עֵיְינֵיהּ. אֲתַת לְגַבֵּיהּ. אֲמַר לָהּ. חֲכָמָה אַתְּ מִילְחוֹשׁ לְעֵיינָא. מֵאֵימָתֵיהּ עֲלֶיהָ אָמְרָה לֵיהּ. לֹא. אֲמַר לָהּ. וְרוֹקְקִין בְּגַוֵּיהּ שֶׁבַע זִימְנִין וְהוּא טָב לֵיהּ. מִן דְּרָקַקָּת אֲמַר לָהּ. אָזְלִין אָמְרִין לְבַעֲלֵיךְ. חַד זְמָן אָמְרָת לִי. וְהִיא רָקְקָה שִׁבְעָה זִימְנִין. אָמְרוּ לוֹ תַלְמִידָיו. רִבִּי. כָּךְ מְבַזִּין אֶת הַתּוֹרָה. אִילּוּ אָמְרָת לוֹ. לֹא הֲוֵוית מֵייתֵי לֵיהּ וּמַלְקִין לֵהּ סַפְסְלֵיהּ וּמַרְצִיָין. וּמְרַצִּיֵיהּ לֵיהּ לְאִיתְּתֵיהּ. אֲמַר לוֹן. וְלֹא יְהֵא כְבוֹד מֵאִיר כִּכְבוֹד קוֹנוֹ. מָה אִם שֵׁם הַקּוֹדֶשׁ שֶנִּכְתַּב בִּקְדוּשָּׁה אָמַר הַכָּתוּב שֶׁיִימָּחֶה עַל הַמַּיִם בִּשְׁבִיל לְהַטִּיל שָׁלוֹם בֵּין אִישׁ לְאִשְתּוֹ. וּכְבוֹד מֵאִיר לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן.

Rebbi Zevadiah, the son-in-law of Rebbi Levi, reported the following happening. Rebbi Meïr used to preach in the synagogue of Ḥamata every Friday evening. There was a woman who used to hear him. Once he extended his sermon. She went and wanted to come to her house but found the light had gone out. Her husband asked her, where have you been? She said to him, to hear the preacher’s voice. He said to her, so and so, that this woman will not enter here into her house unless she went and spat into the preacher’s face. Rebbi Meïr saw this in the holy spirit and faked pain in his eyes. He said, any woman who knows charms for the eye should come and do the charm. Her neighbors said to her, this answers your needs. Go to your house, represent yourself as a sorceress and spit in his eye. She came to him; he asked her, do you know to make a charm for the eye? In her fear of him, she said no. He said to her, if you spit into it seven times, he will feel better. After she had spat, he said to her: Go, and tell your husband, you said to me once, but she spat seven times! His students said to him, so does one denigrate the Torah? If you had ordered about him, would we not have brought him, whipped him on the footstool, and make him agree to make up with his wife? He said to them, the honor of Meïr should not be greater than that of his Maker. Since the verse says that the Holy Name, written in holiness, should be erased by the water in order to make peace between husband and wife, the honor of Meïr not so much more?