משנה מסכת גיטין פרק ד משנה ו
אין פודין את השבויים יותר על כדי דמיהן מפני תקון העולם ואין מבריחין את השבויין מפני תקון העולם רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר מפני תקנת השבויין
Captives should not be redeemed for more than their value, for the sake of tikkun olam. Captives should not be helped to escape, for the sake of tikkun olam. Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel says [that the reason is] to prevent the ill-treatment of fellow captives. [Translation by Rabbi Jill Jacobs]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. Why would we think we should redeem captives for more than their value or help them to escape?
2. Why do we prevent both of these actions? What would happen if we allowed them? Are these reasons different than the ones provided in the text?
3. Based on this text, how do you define tikkun olam? Is this definition different than others that you’ve seen?
Time Period: Rabbinic (Maccabees through the Talmud)