My General View
The law is to be followed, but if the law is used to convict an innocent through expertise without considering his context, then that is not truth or justice.
From Judah-ism
From https://shirathayamnantucket.org/sermons/divided-by-the-chief-rabbinate/:
This article talks about how the Orthodox Jews were threatening the peace-loving Refrom Jews, and it goes on to state shortly after this excerpt, the case of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel which was resolved by the Bat Kol. In this article, it states how:
- The world rests on three things: truth, justice and peace
- Truth must be spoken for peace and love.
- That is, truth spoken with bad intent beats all lies.
- Though we wish for justice to come in black and white, the reality is that they are shades of grey.
- Justice executed without compassion is no justice at all.
- Peace can exist even when people disagree, so long as there is respect.
Back to the article.
Premise:
In Pirke Avot — the Mishnah’s tractate which contains the sayings of the early rabbis, the concluding verse of the first chapter reads: “Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, ‘by virtue of three things does the world endure: truth, justice and peace.’ Al sheloshah devarim ha’olam kiyam. Al ha’emet v’al hadin v’al hashalom.”
Source - Talmud, Seder Nezikim, Pirke Avot, 1:18:
רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַדִּין וְעַל הָאֱמֶת וְעַל הַשָּׁלוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (זכריה ח) אֱמֶת וּמִשְׁפַּט שָׁלוֹם שִׁפְטוּ בְּשַׁעֲרֵיכֶם:
Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel used to say: on three things does the world stand: On justice, on truth and on peace, as it is said: “execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates” (Zechariah 8:16).
Commentary:
Commenting on this verse great 19th Century Orthodox commentator Samson Rafael Hirsch states, “If truth should be removed from human speech… so that truth can no longer be known, … speech would serve humanity only to conceal thoughts and to spread error, falsehood and deceit. If justice should be eliminated from the deeds and the affairs of humanity so that people would no longer honor right as the most sacred of inalienable valuables…, and there would be no supreme authority to defend the rights of all with steadfast determination…. If peace should be banished from the sentiments and the esteem of humanity so that there would be no one who … would waive for the sake of peace whatever {can be} sacrifice{d} save, of course, conscience and duty. If truth and justice and peace should vanish from the earth, then no matter what else the world have in which to glory, the affairs of human beings will attain neither stability nor permanent value.”
Meaning:
This statement that the world rests on these three things: truth, justice and peace, should be guidance for all of us. But what is truth? Truth has been called by the rabbis “the seal of God.” Truth is the ability to speak that which one sees, but for the sake of peace, truth must always be spoken in love. In fact, Dr. Joseph Hertz, who was formerly the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire and also one of the great Orthodox commentators quotes Blake, ”A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.” It is truth that we depend upon when two meet in conversation. Yet, when we call upon our texts to provide us with that basis of truth, it is here where we get into the greatest difficulty. I, like my Orthodox brethren, have no question that God’s revelation to us is perfect. However, I am more than willing to admit that our perception of God’s perfect revelation may not be so perfect. Hence those who cite chapter and verse of a text to prove that they utter the truth can only depend upon their own imperfect perception of that truth.
The same goes for the issue of justice. Justice should be our ability to call the innocent: innocent; and, the guilty: guilty. Yet we all know that, as much as we hope for issues of justice to be painted in black and white, the reality of the human condition has demonstrated, that justice can only be painted in shades of gray. Justice, we pray, is truth in action. Certainly, the Book of Deuteronomy chides us all: tzedek, tzedek tirdof. Justice, justice you shall pursue. These words were inscribed on the hearts of the founding fathers of this country. And justice executed without compassion is no justice at all.
The third of the issues upon which the world rests is shalom — peace. Peace can exist even where people disagree. Peace can exist where views may differ. Peace can exist as long as respect can exist. Respect is the lynch-pin of peace.