Rabbi Eliezer taught: the world was created on the twenty-fifth of Elul... This implies that people were created on Rosh Hashanah. In the first hour [of that day] the idea arose [in the Divine mind to create humankind]… in the ninth [hour Adam and Eve were] commanded [not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge], in the tenth [hour they] transgressed the commandment, in the eleventh [hour they were] judged, and in the twelfth pardoned by the blessed Holy One.
The blessed Holy One said to Adam: “This will be a sign for your descendants. Just as you stood before me in judgment on this day and were pardoned, so too will they stand before me to be judged on this day and be pardoned.”
— Pesikta d'Rav Kahana 23:1
(ה) אמר רבי סימון: בשעה שבא הקב"ה לבראת את אדם הראשון, נעשו מלאכי השרת כיתים כיתים, וחבורות חבורות, מהם אומרים: אל יברא, ומהם אומרים: יברא...
חסד אומר: יברא, שהוא גומל חסדים. ואמת אומר: אל יברא, שכולו שקרים. צדק אומר: יברא, שהוא עושה צדקות. שלום אומר: אל יברא, דכוליה קטטה.
מה עשה הקדוש ברוך הוא? נטל אמת והשליכו לארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב (דניאל ח): ותשלך אמת ארצה. אמרו מלאכי השרת לפני הקב"ה: רבון העולמים! מה אתה מבזה תכסיס אלטיכסייה שלך? תעלה אמת מן הארץ, הדא הוא דכתיב (תהלים פה): אמת מארץ תצמח. רבנן אמרי לה בשם ר' חנינא בר אידי ורבי פנחס ורבי חלקיה בשם רבי סימון אמר: מאד הוא אדם, הדא הוא דכתיב: וירא אלהים את כל אשר עשה והנה טוב מאד, והנה טוב אדם. ר' הונא רבה של צפורין אמר: עד שמלאכי השרת מדיינין אלו עם אלו, ומתעסקין אלו עם אלו, בראו הקדוש ברוך הוא. אמר להן: מה אתם מדיינין, כבר נעשה אדם:
Rabbi Simon said: "When the time came for the Holy One Blessed Be God to create the first human being, the angels of (Divine) service broke up into opposing groups. Some among them say: 'S/he should be created.' Some among them say: 'S/he should not be created.'...
Kindness says: 'Let s/he be created because s/he will bestow kindnesses.'
Truth says: 'Let s/he not be created because s/he because s/he is entirely (made of) lies.'
Righteousness says: 'Let s/he be created for s/he will do righteous acts.'
And Peace says; 'Let s/he not be created for s/he is entirely dissension.'
What did the Holy One Blessed be God do? God took truth and flung him to the ground. Thus it is written: 'You will cast truth to the ground.' (Daniel 8:12)
The angels of (Divine) service said before the Holy One Blessed be God: 'Master of worlds! Why do You despise Your seal of truth? Let truth rise from the ground as it is written: 'Truth will grow from the earth.' (Psalms 85:12)
Rabbi Hunah the rabbi of Tzippori said: "While the angels of (Divine) service were arguing with one another and occupied with one another, the Holy One Blessed be God created the first human."
God said to them: "Why are you debating? The human is already created."
Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, quoted in Itturei Torah, Vol. I on Genesis 1:26
What is the advantage of casting aside "truth" while "peace" remained which also argued that "s/he not be created."? When we cast aside truth, peace will prevail. The root of argument is that everyone fights for his/her own "truth". But when we push "truth" aside, there is no longer something about which to dispute. Thus there is no argument, and "peace" has no claim to make.
ויקרא אלהים לרקיע שמים. לא רצה יקוק שיקרא בשם רקיע כי שם זה מורה על הפירוד והמחלוקת מלשון וירקעו פחי הזהב לרוקע הארץ. כי כל רקיע הוא מסך מבדיל בין שני דברים, ומטעם זה לא נאמר כי טוב בשני לפי שבו נברא המחלוקת, כי אין טובה כי אם במקום מציאת האחדות, ולכך נאמר בשלישי שתי פעמים כי טוב אחת למלאכת יום שלישי ואחת לגמר מלאכת המים שיש בו צד אחדות שנאמר יקוו המים אל מקום אחד ובעבור אחדות זה הזכיר כי טוב, אבל ביום ב' אשר ממנו יוצא כל שינוי והוא התחלה לכל שינוי ומחלוקת לא נאמר בו כי טוב ולא רצה יקוק שיקרא בשם רקיע המורה על מסך מבדיל ובין אחים יפריד, ונקרא בשם שמים המורה על השלום כי שמים נגזר מלשון אש מים שעשו שלום ביניהם ונתחברו ונעשה מהם שמים והיינו שאמרו רז"ל (אבות ה.יז) כל מחלוקת שהיא לשם שמים כו' ר"ל מחלוקת שתכליתו השלום כהוראת שם שמים וק"ל. ולפי פשוטו לא נאמר כי טוב בשני לפי שלא היה בו בריאה חדשה כי הרקיע כבר נברא ביום ראשון וטעם לדבר לפי שיום שני התחלה לכל שינוי ופירוד על כן לא רצה הקב"ה להטביע טבע השינוי בשום נברא.
And God called the firmament, heaven: God did not want that it should be called with the name, firmament - [rakiya] since that name indicates division and disagreement... And for this reason, it does not state, "that it was good" on the second day, since disagreement was created on it; since there is no good except in a place where we find unity.
And therefore on the third day, "that it was good" is stated twice, once for the work of third day and once for the finishing of the water, that has an aspect of unity in it, as it is stated, "let the waters gather to one place," and because of this unity, "that it was good" is mentioned.
But on the second day - from which comes out all differences, and which is the beginning of all difference and disagreement - "that it was good" was not said about it.
...And according to its simple meaning, "that it was good" was not stated on the second day, since there was no new creation on it, since the firmament was already created on the first day, and the reason for [no creations happening on the second day] is because the second day is the beginning of all difference and division; hence the Holy One, blessed be He, did not want to implant a nature of difference in any creation.
א"ר אבא אמר שמואל שלש שנים נחלקו ב"ש וב"ה הללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו והללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו יצאה בת קול ואמרה אלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים הן והלכה כב"ה וכי מאחר שאלו ואלו דברי אלהים חיים מפני מה זכו ב"ה לקבוע הלכה כמותן מפני שנוחין ועלובין היו ושונין דבריהן ודברי ב"ש ולא עוד אלא שמקדימין דברי ב"ש לדבריהן.
Rabbi Abba said in the name of Shmuel: For three years, the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai argued. One said, 'The halakha is like us,' and the other said, 'The halakha is like us.' A heavenly voice spoke: ;These and these are the words of the living God, and the halakha is like the House of Hillel.' A question was raised: Since the heavenly voice declared: "Both these and those are the words of the Living God," why was the halacha established to follow the opinion of Hillel? It is because the students of Hillel were kind and gracious. They taught their own ideas as well as the ideas from the students of Shammai. Not only for this reason, but they went so far as to teach Shammai's opinions first.
בבלי יבמות יג ע׳׳ב
אע"פ שאלו אוסרים ואלו מתירין אלו פוסלין ואלו מכשירין לא נמנעו בית שמאי מלישא נשים מבית הלל ולא בית הלל מבית שמאי כל הטהרות והטמאות שהיו אלו מטהרים ואלו מטמאין לא נמנעו עושין טהרות אלו על גבי אלו:
Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 13b
Though Beit Hillel and Beit Shamai had a disagreement that would have forbidden their children to marry... Beit Shammai, nevertheless, did not refrain from marrying women from the families of Beit Hillel, nor did Beit Hillel refrain from marrying women from the families of Beit Shammai.
Similarly, in respect of all questions of ritual cleanliness and uncleanliness, which these declared clean where the others declared unclean, neither of them abstained from using the utensils of the other for the preparation of food that was ritually clean.
Make for yourself a heart of many rooms, and enter into it the words of Beit Shammai and the words of Beit Hillel, the words of those who declare a matter impure, and those who declare it pure.
א"ר אושעיא מאי דכתיב (זכריה יא, ז) ואקח לי (את) שני מקלות לאחד קראתי נועם ולאחד קראתי חובלים. 'נועם' אלו ת"ח שבארץ ישראל שמנעימין זה לזה בהלכה. 'חובלים' אלו ת"ח שבבבל שמחבלים זה לזה בהלכה (זכריה יא, יג).
R. Oshaya said: The scholars of the Land of Israel treat each other graciously when engaged in debates
Rashi [10th c. France] adds: [what does this mean?] look into the matter together, and this one corrects the other politely, and the law comes to light [as a result].
Rabbi Avraham Yitzchok Kook, Olat Ra-Ya, Vol. I., p.330
אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא: תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם, שנאמר +ישעיהו נ"ד+ וכל בניך למודי יקוק ורב שלום בניך, אל תקרי בניך אלא בוניך. +תהלים קי"ט+ שלום רב לאהבי תורתך ואין למו מכשול +תהלים קכ"ב+ יהי שלום בחילך שלוה בארמנותיך +תהלים קכ"ב+ למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך +תהלים קכ"ב+ למען בית יקוק אלהינו אבקשה טוב לך +תהלים כ"ט+ יקוק עז לעמו יתן יקוק יברך את עמו בשלום
Rabbi Eleazar said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: Students of the sages (or Torah scholars) cause peace to increase in the world as is said in Isaiah: “All of your children will be learned of God, and great will be the peace of your children.”
There are those who err thinking that world peace will not be built except by means of one form in points of view and qualities. Therefore when they see students of Torah scholars inquiring into wisdom and the knowledge of Torah, and, by means of their searching, the perspectives and approaches multiply, they believe that they thus cause argument and the opposite of peace.
Yet truthfully this is not so, for the true peace cannot come into the world except by means of the value of a peace of many faces. A peace of many faces means that all sides and approaches are seen; and it becomes clear how there is a place for them all, each one according to its worth, its place, and its content.
And, on the contrary, all positions that appear superfluous or contradictory will be seen, once the truth of wisdom is revealed in all of her many-sidedness, for only by means of the coming together of all the parts and all of the details, and all of the views that seem different, and all of the divided branches, truly by their means the light of truth and righteousness will appear, [along with] the knowledge of God, His reverence and His love, and the light of the Torah of truth.
Therefore Torah scholars increase peace, for just as they broaden, explicate, and give birth to new words of Torah, in [locating new] aspects out of different aspects in which there is multiplication and division of themes, in this they increase peace.
Martin Buber, “Hope for this Hour” (1967)
The human world is today, as never before, split into two camps, each of which understands the other as the embodiment of falsehood and itself as the embodiment of truth. . . . Each side has assumed monopoly of the sunlight and has plunged its antagonist into night, and each side demands that you decide between day and night. . . . ”
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, The Dignity of Difference, p. 64-65
Truth on earth is not, nor can be, the whole truth.
It is limited, not comprehensive; particular, not universal. When two propositions conflict it is not necessarily because one is true the other false. It may be, and often is, that each represents a different perspective on reality, an alternative way of structuring
order, no more and no less commensurable than a Shakespeare sonnet, a Michelangelo painting or a Schubert sonata.
In heaven there is truth; on earth there are truths.
Therefore, each culture has something to contribute. Each person knows something no one else does. The sages said:
'Who is wise? One who learns from all men - 'The wisest is not one who knows himself wiser than others: he is one who knows all men have some share of the truth,
and is willing to learn from them, for none of us knows all the truth and each of us knows some of it.
(17) Her (Torah) ways are pleasant ways, And all her paths, peaceful.