Q&A: A Mishnah in Pirkei Avot
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
A Mishnah in Pirkei Avot
Question
How do you interpret this Mishnah?
The world is sustained by three things: justice, truth, and peace. Or “stands,” according to Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel’s version.
From here it seems that justice and truth can sometimes be separate!
Answer
Is that new to you? Is legal judgment always the truth? Then when do we have going beyond the letter of the law, or pious conduct? And what about the disqualification of relatives from testimony even though they speak the truth? What about the obligation to obey the Sanhedrin when I do not agree with it? Jewish law has considerations besides truth.