R. Yehoshua says he would have lied about what he said to Raban Gamliel if the latter were dead, but not to his face.
Is this Mutar because of Shalom Bayis? Or is R. Yehoshua trying to teach, don't go so far... What? Is there more info?
My Rabbi said what Raban Gamliel did wasn't so kosher, but it seems he was trying to change society, was he right?
Shaiky, LA,US
Rav Reuven Margoliyos (author of Margaliyos ha'Yam, Yesod ha'Mishnah v'Arichasah, and many more) says that Rebbi Yehoshua in fact did not normally rule for everyone that Tefilas Arvis is Reshus. The Gemara makes a point of mentioning (28a) that the student to whom he said this was Raban Shimon ben Yochai, whom we know learned Torah nonstop. Rebbi Yehoshua was therefore saying that if Raban Shimon ben Yochai was not alive, there would be nobody who could claim that he gave a "Heter" not to Daven Ma'ariv, as the only person to whom he told this in a practical sense was Raban Shimon ben Yochai. This is why he said, "If he would be dead...," meaning that nobody would be able to say that I gave this leniency.
With regard to whether Raban Gamliel was right or not, the simple explanation of the Gemara (28a) is that he was not right regarding certain things, such as not letting more people into the Beis Midrash. It would seem that his approach towards Rebbi Yehoshua was also incorrect. However, he clearly had reasons for why he did what he did. (Rav Reuven Margliyos (Yesod ha'Mishnah) explains that his position was rooted in his outlook generally being like that of Beis Shamai (despite the fact that he was from a "Beis Hillel" family). However, explaining and proving this opinion is beyond the scope of this forum.)
(For an in-depth and comprehensive explanation, see Rav Yehonasan Eibshitz' beautiful (and lengthy) exposition in Ya'aros Devash II, Derush 17. -Y. Shaw)
All the best,
Yaakov Montrose