Teaching about Bitzua

I learned with my group a gemara quoting the Tosefta about Bitzua (generally translated as compromise) in relation to the verse in Psalms 10:3:

כִּי הִלֵּל רָשָׁע עַל תַּאֲוַת נַפְשׁוֹ וּבֹצֵעַ בֵּרֵךְ נִאֵץ יְהוָה

For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the Botzea blessed and blasphemes God.

I left Botzea untranslated, for the Tosefta quotes several rabbinic interpretations of this, Sanhedrin 6b:

רבי אליעזר בנו של רבי יוסי הגלילי אומר: אסור לבצוע, וכל הבוצע - הרי זה חוטא, וכל המברך את הבוצע - הרי זה מנאץ, ועל זה נאמר (תהלים י') בצע ברך נאץ ה', אלא: יקוב הדין את ההר, שנאמר (דברים א') כי המשפט לאלהים הוא, וכן משה היה אומר יקוב הדין את ההר, אבל אהרן אוהב שלום ורודף שלום, ומשים שלום בין אדם לחבירו, שנאמר (מלאכי ב') תורת אמת היתה בפיהו ועולה לא נמצא בשפתיו בשלום ובמישור הלך אתי ורבים השיב מעון. 

רבי אליעזר אומר: הרי שגזל סאה של חטים וטחנה ואפאה והפריש ממנה חלה, כיצד מברך? אין זה מברך אלא מנאץ, ועל זה נאמר: ובוצע ברך נאץ ה'. 

רבי מאיר אומר: לא נאמר בוצע אלא כנגד יהודה, שנאמר (בראשית ל"ז) ויאמר יהודה אל אחיו מה בצע כי נהרג את אחינו, וכל המברך את יהודה - הרי זה מנאץ, ועל זה נאמר: ובצע ברך נאץ ה'.

Soncino translates:
R`Eliezer the son of R`Jose the Galilean says: It is forbidden to botzea, and he who is botzea blasphemes, and whoever blesses such a botzea blasphemes the Lord, for it is written, He that blesseth a botzea, blasphemes God. But let the law cut through the mountain, for it is written, For the judgment is God's. And so Moses's motto was: Let the law cut through the mountain. Aaron, however, loved peace and pursued peace and made peace between man and man, as it is written, The law of truth was in his mouth, unrighteousness was not found in his lips, he walked with Me in peace and uprightness and did turn many away from iniquity. 

R`Eliezer says: If one stole a se'ah [a measure] of wheat, ground and baked it and set apart the Hallah, what benediction can he pronounce? This man would not be blessing, but contemning, and of him it is written, The robber [bozea'] who blesseth, contemneth the Lord. 

R`Meir says: This text refers to none but Judah, for it is written, And Judah said to his brethren, What profit [beza'] is it if we slay our brother? And whosoever praises Judah, blasphemes, as it is written, He who praiseth the man who is greedy of gain [bozea'] contemneth the Lord.

So how can the gemara completely change what botzea is for the derasha?

Rashi takes the tack that botzea is actually used in Tanach in three different ways, one of compromise, one of thievery, and one of profit, and quotes verses to prove his case.

If we were to say it a different way, the precise translation of botzea is to split. So one translation is to compromise and split between two wills. Another is to split something away from the possession of another. And the last is to split profit, and then transferred to the profit itself.

But for posterity, my group at SAR found a different way to go about this puzzling gemara. The gemara here forbids compromise, yet later we find that peshara is encouraged. Not only that, but this gemara here seems to place bitzua as an Aaron activity, and is that saying that Aaron was wrong? There are several answers to this contradiction. My group thought of an original one. Peshara is encouraged. Compromise is good, when two parties agree to find a way to a resolution of their fight. But compromising values is bad. We will see how this is true for the second two interpretations, and then I'll add what my group couldn't answer, the first.

Rabbi Eliezer says that the thief who wants to be mafrish challah and makes a beracha over his stolen goods is a blasphemer. It would seem that this is not a direct translation of botzea, but applying a case to it. A person who compromises, and says, I will sin and violate ben adam lechaveros, but I will still bless God and do the ben adam lemakoms, is a blasphemer. He thinks he's praising God? He's doing the opposite. God does not want that. He compromises between his values, and lives a life of sinning, but still wants to do some religious good, is forbidden.

Rabbi Meir says that, again, not as a direct translation of botzea, but applying Yehudah to this standard. Yehudah thought he could effect compromise of values. We won't kill him, but we will sell him. That is inappropriate! One must stand up for what's right. Yehudah should have absolutely taken Yosef's side, but failed in his moral responsibility. Compromise in values ben adam lechavero is forbidden!

So too when it comes to the law. Moshe said the absolute law can cut through mountains. Values don't go by the wayside but are incorporated into the absolute law. But Aaron felt there was a difference between absolute law and meta-halachic issues when it effects people. He tried to create shalom, but very often he bent the law to meet the people's demands. He helped perform a golden calf when the people demanded. And so, compromise of moral values to meet the demand of people is forbidden!

So really, all three cases are ones of "compromise".

Let us set this up as a progression...