(second cent. CE). Wife of R. Meir and a scholar in her own right; daughter of R. Hananiah ben Teradyon. She and her husband lived mainly in or near Tiberias. There are numerous references in talmudic literature to her exemplary virtue, intellectual gifts, and ability to dispute with the sages in halakhic matters. The opinions Beruryah expressed were given the same weight as those of a tanna, and on at least one occasion they were accepted by R. Judah Bar Ilai.
The Talmud (Ber. 10a) relates that ruffians in R. Meir's neighborhood made themselves troublesome to the sage and so provoked him that he wanted to pray for God to punish them. Beruryah intervened and pointed out that Scripture (Ps. 104:35) declares, "Let wickedness cease from the earth," not the wicked. R. Meir then prayed that they should repent, which they did.
Beruryah's life was dogged by tragedy. Not only was her father tortured to death by the Roman authorities, but her sister was forced into prostitution and her brother was killed by bandits. These misfortunes culminated, as the Midrash relates, in the sudden death of her two sons one Sabbath afternoon---a blow which she concealed from her husband until he came home from the Academy when the Sabbath had ended. Only then did she gently break the news to him, by asking if a precious object deposited with her for safekeeping should be returned to the owner. "Why, of course it should!" Meir replied, whereupon Beruryah showed him their sons lying in the bedroom and comforted her stricken husband by quoting Job (1:21), "The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
