Halakhah su Zaccaria 8:78

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korchah adopts the opposite approach to pesharot. He not only permits judges to encourage pesharot, but he even argues that they are performing a mitzvah in doing so. He notes that the prophet Zechariah (8:16) implores judges to pursue both truth and peace. At first glance, these goals appear contradictory, but Rabbi Yehoshua explains that a pesharah achieves both truth and peace. The Halachah follows his opinion (Rambam, Hilchot Sanhedrin 22:4, and Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 12:2).

From the laws of the commandment is that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Ketuvot 105a) that one who [unnecessarily] prolongs the judgment is included in one vitiating judgement. And that which they said (Mishnah Avot 1:1), "Be deliberate in judgement," so that they not come to vitiation of the judgement. And they, may their memory be blessed, said (Yevamot 109b) that it is fitting for someone judging to consult with someone greater than he, if he is near him. And they said in warning about this matter (Mishnah Avot 4:7), "Anyone who prevents himself from judging - prevents from himself enmity, theft, and the false oath." And all of this is to teach us that the thing requires deliberation and much composure, so that they not err in the decision. As there are many things [involved] in legal decisions, and one must be a great sage in a decision - and it is like they, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Batra 175b), "One who wants to become wise should engage in monetary laws, as there is no greater discipline in the Torah than them, as they are like a flowing spring." And they also warned us that the judgement of a small coin should be beloved to us like the judgement of a thousand expensive coins, to judge it according to its truth. And because of the weightiness of judgement, they greatly praised the one who can bring a compromise between the litigants. And about him is it said (Zechariah 8:16), "truth and peaceful justice shall you rule" - as this is the judgement of peace. And so too about David does it state (II Samuel 8:15), "and David executed judgement and righteousness (tzedekah, which is also the word for charity) for all of his people" - which is the judgment that also has charity? One can say, a settlement. And the rest of the many warnings that they, may their memory be blessed, warned us about equitability in judgement and the rest of the details of the commandment are scattered in the Order of Nezikin, and are primarily in Tractate Sanhedrin (see Tur, Choshen Mishpat 17).

And these four fasts; behold they are explicit in the tradition through the prophet, Zachariah 8:19, "So said the Lord of Hosts, 'the fast of the fourth and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth will be for the House of Yehuda for happiness and rejoicing.'" "The fast of the fourth" is the seventeenth of Tammuz, as it is in the fourth month. And "the fast of the fifth" is the ninth of Av, as it is in the fifth month. And "the fast of the seventh" is the Fast of Gedaliah, as it is in the seventh of the months. And "the fast of the tenth" is the tenth of Tevet, as it is in the tenth of the months. And all of Israel is accustomed to fast on those days. And even though with the first Temple, Jerusalem was breached on the ninth of Tammuz - as it is written in Kings there - nonetheless, they did not decree a fast upon it; only on the seventeenth, upon which the city was breached with the second [Temple]. And for us the destruction of the second Temple is [more] weighty, as from then we have become poor and scattered to the four corners of the earth. And to decree that they should fast on [both] the ninth and the seventeenth, we do not decree too much upon the community. (And Beit Yosef brought in the name of Rabbenu Yerucham that Gedaliah was killed on Rosh Hashanah, and it was pushed off to the next day - see there. And nonetheless, it does not have the status of a fast that is pushed off, concerning one who needs to do a circumcision - as it is like this all of the years. And it is not similar to a fast that is pushed off from Shabbat to Sunday, as everyone [is aware] of the pushing off, which is not the case with the Fast of Gedaliah, as all years are the same. And [this is] like the conclusion of Taz - see there.)